USA and UAE Space Agency announce bilateral space cooperation

From 16 to 20 March 2015, officials from several departments and agencies of the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency met in Washington D.C. to review a broad list of potential areas of space cooperation.

Under the label of strengthening civil and national security space collaboration, the two parties agreed on developing a strategic approach that would focus on building mutual confidence and understanding of space systems on which both countries rely for economic, environmental, security, and social well-being. Initial discussions focused on space policy and regulatory developments, long term sustainability of space activities, space security, space exploration, bilateral space science cooperation, weather monitoring, the use of satellite-based applications, and exchanges of best practices.

The US State Department stated in a press release that more fields of cooperation existed: "Areas of future conversations and collaboration may focus on important uses of satellite-based data and value-added applications such as: land and sea resource management; space situational awareness; earth observation; climate change research; meteorology; positioning, navigation, and timing; satellite communications; early warning; earth observation; space weather monitoring and opportunities for early discussions on new systems and future space-related missions."