UAE investors is looking towards space for investments as the $7.5 billion USD space tourism industry is set to take off.
The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) and US-based Bigelow Aerospace recently signed a memorandum to establish a commercial human space flight programme for Dubai and the UAE.
Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, which is partly owned by Abu Dhabi based Aabar, also plans to bring space tourism to the United Arab Emirates by building a space port in Abu Dhabi as soon as it gets approvals from US authorities.
At the moment the cost of a return ticket to outer space for the first flights is between $95,000 and $200,000, depending on the flight provider, but these prices are expected to fall as capacity increases. Some experts estimate that the typical price to fly into space by 2030 will be around $25,000. More on Gulfnews.