On the third day of the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, I held important bilateral meetings with the United Arab Emirates Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center. Our charge to explore the Moon, and make the next giant leap to Mars, will require strong international partnerships. The dialogue today helped clarify NASA’s plans and highlighted the interest from other space agencies in joining us on this incredible journey.
In a meeting with Dr. Mohamed Al Ahbabi, Director General of the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA), we discussed NASA’s plans to move forward to the Moon and opportunities for UAESA participation in future lunar surface activities. We also discussed the UAESA’s plans to fly their first astronaut to the International Space Station later this year.
In the final meeting of the day, I met with Professor Pascale Ehrenfreund, Executive Board Chair of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). We spoke about the robust relationship between our agencies in human and robotic exploration and areas for cooperation as we pursue returning humans to the lunar surface in 2024. Professor Ehrenfreund was particularly excited about the opportunities we have to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders with stunning achievements in space exploration.
Moving forward to the Moon is a global effort that will improve life for all of humanity, and NASA is leading this growing coalition of nations to raise the bar of human achievement.