Today's Edition
DUBAI (ALETIHAD)
As the UAE marked Emirati Children's Day on Sunday, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) highlighted a body of educational work that has, to date, brought space science to 5,789 participants across the country.
In a year when the UAE has placed family and community at the centre of its national agenda through the Year of Family, the scale and diversity of the centre's outreach tell a story about how space exploration is being woven into the everyday lives of Emirati youth.
Taking Space to the Classroom
The foundation of that outreach is built on direct access. MBRSC has conducted 2,255 school visits across the UAE, bringing space science into classrooms and giving students the kind of firsthand exposure to the field that textbooks alone cannot provide.
That access extends beyond schools. Through the Emirati Society for GIS and Remote Sensing (ESGRS) Programme, 4,000 students have received structured training, representing the largest single stream of participation within MBRSC's educational portfolio.
A further 160 students have been engaged through dedicated school workshops. Collaborative partnerships have broadened the reach even further. Working alongside the Dubai Astronomy Group, Dubai Future Foundation, Emirates Literature Foundation, and other entities, MBRSC has connected with students through joint programmes, reflecting a conscious effort to meet young people through institutions and voices they already trust.
Built for Emirati Youth
For Emirati students specifically, a series of targeted engagements have brought the centre's mission directly into the community. In the previous year, hundreds of Emirati students participated through Dubai's Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department's Ghiras Summer Programme, Winter and Summer Space Explorer Camps, as well as visits to the Centre, each encounter offering a distinct entry point into the world of space science.
The Space Explorer Camp itself has become one of MBRSC's most recognisable youth initiatives. Delivered annually in two editions, the Summer and Winter Space Explorer Camps together brought in close to 100 students last year, across dedicated boys' and girls' camps.
The camps are designed to be immersive rather than introductory, giving participants sustained, hands-on exposure to explore the UAE's space missions, learn about the journeys of Emirati astronauts, and discover the challenges of human spaceflight.
Additionally, MBRSC also runs a Career Camp for Emirati high school students, offering a 10-day residential experience at its headquarters that blends exposure to the centre's scientific and operational departments with practical insight into STEM careers and corporate functions, helping students connect their academic interests to real professional pathways in the space sector.
A Call from Space
Perhaps no single initiative has made the idea of space feel as immediate and alive for young people as the "A Call from Space" series.
Astronauts Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and Hazzaa Al Mansoori participated in multiple educational and community outreach events during the Zayed Ambition 1 and 2 missions aboard the International Space Station, drawing in over 10,000 people from all walks of life, including children of all ages, through live video calls and ham radio sessions.
Among these, MBRSC in collaboration with the Emirates Amateur Radio Society (EARS) organised seven dedicated ham radio sessions for the Zayed Ambition 2 mission that engaged more than 500 students from various age groups, grades, and schools across the UAE.
The sessions were held at locations within and outside the UAE, and brought the voice of Emirati astronauts in orbit directly into the lives of children who may one day follow the same path.
On the World Stage
At a competitive level, MBRSC's partnership with NASA on the annual Space Apps Challenge drew 1,200 student participants in 2025, part of a worldwide event spanning 551 local editions.
Under the theme "Learn, Launch, Lead", participants worked with scientists, technologists and storytellers to develop solutions built on NASA's open data, marking for many their first experience of applied STEM at an international scale.
Furthermore, MBRSC has been an active partner in the Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC), a robotics competition jointly organised with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, in which student teams programme Astrobee, a free-flying robot operating aboard the International Space Station's Japanese Experiment Module.
From Campus to Career
The centre's educational reach further carries a strong institutional dimension. Through formal partnerships with New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), the National Space Science and Technology Centre (NSSTC), Khalifa University (KU), the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), and Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), MBRSC has created structured pathways for students at the higher education level.
Another key annual educational initiative has been the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Programme, that underscores the centre's ongoing commitment to cultivating a new generation of Emirati talent in space science and related STEM disciplines.
In last year's edition of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Programme, nine students undertook intensive eight-week research placements, each paired with a dedicated mentor and contributing to active projects with publication potential.
The 2026 edition, which runs from June to August, will be hosted across five leading institutions, including MBRSC and MBRU in Dubai, and NYUAD, NSSTC and Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.
On Emirati Children's Day, and in the context of the Year of the Family, the accumulation of educational and outreach initiatives, across schools, camps, competitions, interaction with astronauts and research programmes, reflects a view held at the centre that inspiring the next generation of space professionals begins long before anyone reaches a university campus. It begins with a child who is given the tools to ask the right questions.
