Jeddah Sep 8(Arab News): Saudi Arabia is making steady progress in space science and technology, said Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and a member of the Association of Space Explorers.
"The Saudi government is keen on developing science and technology...and it understands the role of space science in boosting the Kingdom's development," he said in a statement after attending the association's 24th annual conference in Moscow.
He said the Kingdom has left no stone unturned in promoting scientific research and encouraging scientists. "We were the main founders of the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat)," the prince said. Saudi Arabia is the largest information technology market in the region.
The Association of Space Explorers, a nonprofit organization, was established in 1985, the year when Prince Sultan conducted his historic space journey on NASA’s space shuttle Discovery.
He was the first Arab, Muslim and member of royalty to travel into space. The mission was also unique because its crew came from three different countries on three continents.
Russia was selected for this year’s congress to mark the 50th anniversary of the world's first space flight by Yuri Gagarin, a Russian.
Space exploration is making rapid progress and the number of people who have seen our planet from spacecraft has already exceeded 500. These people represent dozens of countries, said Alexei Leonov, pilot-cosmonaut of the former Soviet Union, who made the world's first space walk.
“Any person who has made at least one orbit around the earth and any man or woman from any country regardless of faith or membership of a political party can become a member of the association,” Leonov said.
The association is aimed at coordinating the efforts of cosmonauts and astronauts, using resources for solving complicated global problems and establishing relations between countries. The conference discussed ways to promote space exploration and boost international cooperation in the field.