The scale and diversity of the centre’s outreach tell a story about how space exploration is being woven into the everyday lives of Emirati youth
Photo credit: MBRSC
As the United Arab Emirates celebrates Emirati Children’s Day, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has reflected on its extensive educational outreach efforts that have introduced space science to 5,789 participants across the country. The milestone comes during the UAE’s Year of the Family, a national initiative that emphasises the role of families and communities in shaping the country’s future, with space education increasingly becoming part of the everyday experiences of young Emiratis.
MBRSC’s outreach strategy has largely focused on direct engagement with students. The centre has conducted 2,255 school visits throughout the UAE, bringing space science directly into classrooms and offering students firsthand exposure to the field beyond traditional textbooks. Its programmes extend beyond schools as well. Through the Emirati Society for GIS and Remote Sensing Programme, 4,000 students have received structured training, representing the largest participation stream within MBRSC’s educational portfolio. In addition, another 160 students have taken part in specialised workshops organised for schools.
Collaborative partnerships have broadened the reach even further. Working alongside the Dubai Astronomy Group, Dubai Future Foundation, Emirates Literature Foundation, and other entities, MBRSC has connected with students through joint programmes, reflecting a conscious effort to meet young people through institutions and voices they already trust.
For Emirati students specifically, a series of targeted engagements have brought the centre’s mission directly into the community. In the previous year, hundreds of Emirati students participated through Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department’s Ghiras Summer Programme, Winter and Summer Space Explorer Camps as well as visits to the Centre, each encounter offering a distinct entry point into the world of space science.
The Space Explorer Camp itself has become one of MBRSC’s most recognisable youth initiatives. Delivered annually in two editions, the Summer and Winter Space Explorer Camps together brought in close to 100 students last year, across dedicated boys’ and girls’ camps. The camps are designed to be immersive rather than introductory, giving participants sustained, hands-on exposure to explore the UAE’s space missions, learn about the journeys of Emirati astronauts, and discover the challenges of human spaceflight.
Additionally, MBRSC also runs a Career Camp for Emirati high school students, offering a ten-day residential experience at its headquarters that blends exposure to the centre’s scientific and operational departments with practical insight into STEM careers and corporate functions, helping students connect their academic interests to real professional pathways in the space sector.
One of the centre’s most engaging initiatives for young audiences has been the “A Call from Space” series. Emirati astronauts Sultan AlNeyadi and Hazzaa AlMansoori participated in multiple educational outreach events during the Zayed Ambition 1 and Zayed Ambition 2 missions aboard the International Space Station. Through live video calls and ham radio sessions, these engagements reached more than 10,000 people from various age groups, bringing the experience of spaceflight directly into classrooms and community spaces.
As part of the Zayed Ambition 2 mission, MBRSC collaborated with the Emirates Amateur Radio Society to organise seven dedicated ham radio sessions that connected more than 500 students with astronauts in orbit. These sessions were held at locations within and outside the UAE, allowing children to hear directly from Emirati astronauts and gain inspiration from their experiences in space.
At the competitive level, MBRSC’s partnership with NASA on the annual Space Apps Challenge drew 1,200 student participants in 2025, part of a worldwide event spanning 551 local editions. Under the theme “Learn, Launch, Lead,” participants worked with scientists, technologists, and storytellers to develop solutions built on NASA’s open data, marking for many their first experience of applied STEM at an international scale.
Furthermore, MBRSC has been an active partner in the Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC), a robotics competition jointly organised with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, in which student teams programme Astrobee, a free-flying robot operating aboard the International Space Station’s Japanese Experiment Module.
The centre’s educational reach further carries a strong institutional dimension. Through formal partnerships with New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), the National Space Science and Technology Centre (NSSTC), Khalifa University (KU), the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), and Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), MBRSC has created structured pathways for students at the higher education level.
Another key annual educational initiative has been the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Programme, that underscores the Centre’s ongoing commitment to cultivating a new generation of Emirati talent in space science and related STEM disciplines. In last year’s edition of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Programme, nine students undertook intensive eight-week research placements, each paired with a dedicated mentor and contributing to active projects with publication potential. The 2026 edition, which runs from June to August, will be hosted across five leading institutions, including MBRSC and MBRU in Dubai, and NYUAD, NSSTC and Khalifa University, in Abu Dhabi.
On Emirati Children’s Day, and in the context of the Year of the Family, the accumulation of educational and outreach initiatives, across schools, camps, competitions, interaction with astronauts and research programmes, reflects a view held at the Centre that inspiring the next generation of space professionals begins long before anyone reaches a university campus. It begins with a child who is given the tools to ask the right questions.