UAE astronauts might play a key role in a new chapter of space exploration, with private companies eyeing them as potential first crew members for upcoming commercial space station missions. As the International Space Station (ISS) approaches retirement, opportunities are opening up for nations like the UAE, which has an emerging astronaut program but lacks its own launch capabilities.

Max Haot, CEO of Vast Space, told *The National* about plans to involve UAE astronauts in their Haven-1 project, a commercial space station aiming to fill the ISS’s shoes in low-Earth orbit. The California-based company is also developing a second station, Haven-2, and is competing for NASA’s Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) program. If selected, Vast Space could secure seats on SpaceX rockets for two missions to the ISS, which could be sold to countries like the UAE or Saudi Arabia.

“We are so excited about how serious the UAE is and how developed its human space flight program is,” Mr. Haot remarked during the Abu Dhabi Space Debate. He believes the UAE could be an ideal partner for Haven-1, calling sovereign nations with advanced space programs like the UAE their top priority for crew selection.

However, competition is heating up in the commercial space race. Houston-based Axiom Space, with a similar business model, has already completed three private missions and last year sent two Saudi astronauts to the ISS. The UAE has previously collaborated with Axiom as well, securing a seat for Dr. Sultan Al Neyadi on a six-month ISS mission in 2023.

Vast Space is determined to stand apart by launching Haven-1 as soon as possible, with plans to send it into orbit by the end of next year. “We are on track with our plan,” Mr. Haot said, emphasizing their goal to prove their operational readiness to NASA and other partners.

As the ISS nears retirement, the shift to commercial space stations will be critical for low-Earth orbit missions. For the UAE, which has already sent two astronauts to the ISS and aims to continue launching missions every three to five years, this transition aligns with its growing ambitions in space exploration.

Beyond low-Earth orbit, the UAE is also contributing to NASA’s Gateway project, a future lunar-orbiting station, by funding and developing an airlock module. In return, the country hopes to send an Emirati astronaut to Gateway in the future.

Discussions about collaboration are ongoing between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with Salem Al Marri, director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, sharing the possibility of joint missions. Both nations have four astronauts in their respective corps, including UAE’s Hazza Al Mansouri, Nora Al Matrooshi, and Mohammed Al Mulla, and Saudi Arabia’s Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al Qarni, who joined Dr. Al Neyadi on the ISS for eight days last April.

As the UAE continues to expand its footprint in space exploration, partnerships with private companies like Vast Space and Axiom Space could shape the next phase of human spaceflight.