UAE - Mubasher: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has launched Space Ventures, a launchpad for startups in the space sector from the region and around the world, to boost the space technology ecosystem.

Space Ventures will enable businesses to cooperate with MBRSC on long-term projects, have access to technology, and communicate with the world's regulatory agencies to achieve long-term growth, according to a press release on Monday.

Funded by the ICT Fund of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, the initiative has partnered with leading incubators and accelerators in the region to support the promising space startups.

Space Ventures aims to establish partnerships in the upstream and downstream areas of the space sector, including communications, data storage, IoT, satellite manufacture and launch, robotics, and space hardware and software.

The Director-General of MBRSC, Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, said: "The UAE space sector is looking to further expand its horizon and create a new space economy landscape in the country through a self-sustaining space ecosystem."

The Programme Manager of Mars 2117 of MBRSC, Adnan Al Rais, commented: "Space Ventures will help in establishing a strong and sustainable space ecosystem that will contribute to achieving the goals of the Mars 2117 Programme, which aims to establish human settlements on Mars by 2117, as well as other space programmes in the UAE."