The UAE Space Agency Working Group on Space Policy and Law met for the first time on 16 March.

The Space Agency has made little progress since it was established in July 2014.

Its ambitious goal is to launch the Arab world’s first unmanned mission to Mars in 2021, to be developed by the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST)

The working group discussed the national space policy development plan, space law in the UAE and organisational regulation.

Its responsibilities include implementing government directives, developing Emirati human capital in the space industry, encouraging local and international cooperation and setting the organisational frameworks for the sector.

EIAST has launched two observation satellites and plans a third launch, KhalifaSat, in 2017.