After Russia’s exit from the Lunar Gateway, NASA has found a new partner in UAE

Five years ago, NASA and Russia's space corporation signed a joint statement that discussed partnering on the development of a space station that would circle the moon. The facility was expected to get an airlock from Russia.

There has been a lot of change in the five years since then. As NASA formulated its plans for lunar exploration under the Artemis program, Russia pulled away.

The current form of the lunar gateway is too US-centered according to the director general. Russia won't participate on a large scale. TheArtemis Accords were created by NASA to guide cooperation among nations involved in the agency's 21st century lunar exploration plans.

The country pivoted toward working with China on an "International lunar research station" by the time Russia invaded Ukraine. China and Russia are invited to join NASA's Artemis program in order to explore the moon.

More than twenty countries have signed agreements to join NASA's Artemis Accords. The United Arab Emirates is looking to take its participation to the next level. The National reported on Tuesday that NASA is in talks with the United Arab Emirates about providing an airlock for the lunar gateway. The small Middle Eastern nation is collaborating with Boeing.

A source told Ars that the United Arab Emirates has been talking to NASA about providing an airlock for the Gateway. The first elements of this small station, which will fly in a halo around the Moon, are likely to launch in the late 20th century. Humans won't live on the Gateway continuously, but will live occasionally. The airlock would allow spacewalks.

The Islamic nation has a population of less than 9 million people. It is interested in space exploration. The "Hope" probe was sent to Mars through a partnership with the University of Colorado Boulder. The goal of the program was to encourage the younger generation to go into science, technology, engineering, and medicine. Only Russia, the United States, the European Union, and India were able to put a spaceship into space.

The first moon launch took place last weekend. A passenger on the Hakuto-R lander was a small lunar rover called the Rashid. The mission is expected to land on the moon early next year.

There is a small corps of astronauts. Hazza Al Mansouri traveled to the International Space Station on a rocket for eight days. Sultan Al Neyadi is going to be on the space station for about six months in February of next year. His seat was arranged by a space company. There are other astronauts in Houston.

Through its partnership in the Artemis Accords, the U.S. is positioning itself to send a person to the moon in the future.