The United Arab Emirates Space Agency plans to launch a platform for commercial space flights.
The UAE Space Agency is negotiating with Virgin Galactic Richard Branson to arrange commercial space flights for tourists from Al Ain International Airport.
In February, the company launched a SpaceShipTwo over the Mojave Desert in California with a first passenger and two pilots as part of a test flight. The crew covered almost 90 km, which marked the first successful flight of the Virgin spacecraft.
Muhammad Al Ahbabi, director of the UAE space agency, explained that Virgin Galactic chose Al Ain airport because of its relatively low workload compared to other hubs in the country.
In February of this year, Richard Branson presented the flag with a successful Virgin Galactic test flight to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy High Commander of the Armed Forces.
The British billionaire said: "This gift is a tribute to the role, vision and approach of the United Arab Emirates to the development of the space industry."
Recall this fall, the first astronaut from the UAE will leave for the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Russian mission.
