Virgin Galactic to send an Emirati into space

The British-based multinational venture capital conglomerate teams up with Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments PJS to send one lucky UAE national into sub-orbital space. The opportunities to go into the upper stretches of the atmosphere, and experience zero gravity, will be given to the winner of a competition, details of which are to be released at a later date. The competition, which is exclusively for Emiratis, will be run by the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), the parent company of Aabar.

Aabar owns a “significant” stake in Virgin Galactic, states CEO and president [of Galactic], George Whitesides. This considerable buy-in by the investment firm, which sees Aabar controlling nearly a third of the spaceflight company, means that Sir Richard Branson’s space tourism venture has been given a financial helping hand. As a result, Abu Dhabi will have exclusive regional rights to Virgin Galactic space tourism and scientific research flights taking off from the capital.

Space tourism may not be so far off for the Middle East: Virgin, in tandem with Aabar has already appointed a chief advisor for the spaceport that is to be built in Abu Dhabi.

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Virgin Galactic to send an Emirati into space