HOUSTON: The chairman of the Saudi Space Commission (SSC), Prince Sultan bin Salman, said that the Kingdom is proud to establish a national space commission, with the support of King Salman for the importance of this large sector in transforming scientific, technical and economic fields in the Kingdom.
This came in his speech during a dinner ceremony sponsored by the SSC in Houston, organized by the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) in collaboration with Saudi Aramco on the occasion of the ASE’s 32nd Planetary Congress.
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Founded in 1985, the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) holds annual meetings of professionals and astronauts to exchange experiences, raise awareness about the latest discoveries in space science and engineering, and encourage international cooperation leading to space discoveries.
Prince Sultan said that the Kingdom highly values this sector, stressing that the Kingdom will utilize the space sector as a peaceful scientific field, to benefit all mankind. He added that the establishment of the SSC was the continuation of early activities initiated by the Kingdom in space at the end of the 1970s, which culminated in the journey of the first Arab-Muslim astronaut to space in 1985, in which Saudi scientists played an active role.
Prince Sultan said that the scientific team that participated in that mission submitted a state report recommending the establishment of a commission that launched a space program in King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology.
