The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is proud to announce the U.S.-Arab Space Initiative. This first-of-its-kind effort in Washington’s think tank community, led by Her Excellency Ambassador Amal Mudallali, Ph.D., is designed to elevate our vision of a strong U.S.-Arab partnership to new heights by enhancing cooperation both on Earth and in space.
Space has become an integral part of today’s world. Valued at $630 billion, the industry is now a major part of the global economy and a key driver of diversification. It has become critical to defense and national security, technological innovation, communications and daily life. It is also emerging as a central arena of great-power competition.
The Arab world, and the Gulf region in particular, is rapidly emerging as one of the most dynamic new centers of activity in the space industry. U.S.-Arab cooperation in space started in 1985 with the first Arab astronaut, HRH Prince Sultan Bin Salman flew on board NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery. Since then, Arab American cooperation in space is deepening with formal agreements and space exploration projects. Six Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan, and Oman are signatories of the Artemis Accords. While most Arab countries are pursuing space programs, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates currently lead the Arab space sector with the most advanced, active programs. Other GCC nations, such as Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait have long established space programs and industries along with substantial new investments.
While most Arab countries are pursuing space programs, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates currently lead the Arab space sector with the most advanced, active programs. Other GCC nations, such as Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait have long established space programs and industries along with substantial new investments and momentum.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia sent astronauts—including the first Arab woman in space—to the ISS. Saudi Arabia made history within the Artemis program becoming the first Arab country to launch a satellite mission developed by local talent to monitor space weather. It also launched Cubesats for earth observation to monitor and protect terrestrial, coastal, and ocean ecosystems. The UAE made big strides in space when it placed the historic Hope probe into Mars orbit in 2020, becoming the fifth country in history to reach the red planet. It launched the Rashid 1 lunar rover and developed the Rashid 2, sent astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), and is planning a mission to the Asteroid Belt.
All of the GCC countries are working on space programs as part of their broader efforts to diversify their economies beyond oil exports and to build knowledge-based technology sectors. Some are focusing on space launch; Oman, in particular, is developing the Etlaq commercial spaceport. Others like Qatar are launching satellites or interested in exploration and commercial spaceflight and developing satellite infrastructure for scientific and environmental research.
Other Arab nations are actively integrating the space industry into their long-term economic and scientific visions, especially Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco. Egypt focuses heavily on satellite development and infrastructure, maintains a massive Space City facility in Cairo, and are a primary driver behind and the headquarters of the Africa Space Agency. Algeria and Morocco have advanced space and remote sensing agencies and have launched a variety of Earth observation and telecommunication satellites.
All of these nations—through substantial investments in satellite technology, Earth observation, planetary science, astronaut programs, deep space exploration, and scientific research—have transformed themselves into major space powers. These countries are strong partners of the world’s leading space power, the United States, home to the most advanced space industry in the world. The space sector of the American economy is driven by an ecosystem of government agencies, research institutions, universities, private sector innovators, commercial space companies, and, above all, the world’s pioneering space agency, NASA.
The US Arab Space initiative seeks to strengthen cooperation between the United States and the Arab world by enhancing knowledge sharing between industry experts and creating a sustained dialogue on space-related issues ranging from space policy and governance to the space economy and commercial partnerships.
The initiative will pursue five strategic objectives:
The U.S.-Arab Space Initiative will seek to integrate issues pertaining to the space industry into the National Council’s existing programs while also creating new, high-impact activities that advance dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and cooperation.
The U.S.-Arab Space Initiative will position the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations as a leading platform for dialogue, research, and cooperation on space issues connecting the United States and the Arab world. The Initiative will serve as a catalyst for deeper U.S.-Arab cooperation in the rapidly evolving space domain, creating opportunities and strategic partnerships across sectors and generations. As space becomes an increasingly important arena for innovation, discovery, and strategic engagement, the Initiative will help foster the relationships and exchange of ideas needed to address emerging challenges and seize new opportunities. In doing so, it will contribute to a stronger and more enduring partnership that advances mutual prosperity, scientific progress, security, and international cooperation.
This initiative will be led and executed by Her Excellency Ambassador Amal Mudallali, Ph.D., a Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow at the National Council. Dr. Mudallali is a Visiting Research Scholar at Princeton University, where she taught a course on Multilateralism, focusing on Space Policy. She is the Founder and CEO of Bridges International Group, a political consultancy in Washington DC. She is the publisher of a space policy newsletter called Spaceflash.
Ambassador Mudallali served from 2018 to 2022 as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Lebanon to the United Nations. She was elected Vice President of the UN General Assembly in 2020 and served as Vice President of the UN First Committee dealing with disarmament and nuclear proliferation. She also served on the executive boards of UNICEF and of the Peace Building Commission and was elected Vice Chair of the Information Committee. She led an initiative to help needy countries during the global food crisis caused by the Ukraine war. She led an initiative to improve access to Covid 19 vaccines in the developing world. She also co-led negotiations on a global compact for the environment. She worked on a number of initiatives to put space issues on the UN agenda in New York and championed the sustainability of space. For her contributions to global diplomacy, cooperation, and foreign policy, Dr. Mudallali was awarded the prestigious title of Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor by French President Jacques Chirac.
