With space tourism rapidly growing and the space industry at the heart of all powerful nations, the idea of future world leader conferences in space doesn’t sound outlandish. This is how a “space diplomat” sees the future, hoping to broadcast literal peace messages from outer space.
While the famous billionaire space tourists were criticized by some for the “selfish” motivations behind their outrageously-expensive trips, other people want to use space tourism as a diplomatic tool for promoting peace. Namira Salim, a Pakistani expat who has relocated to Dubai, has an ambitious plan. She wants to send recorded messages of peace from various leaders and peacemakers to be flown to space via a satellite and broadcast on Earth.
This unusual project, called the (Zero Gravity) 0G Peace Mission 2030 (0G2030), was developed by Namira’s non-profit organization called Space Trust. The project has been selected as one of the two finalists for a free launch opportunity by the United Nations’ Office for Outer Space Affairs.
In a recent interview with Khaleej Times, Salima explained that this is a student-led initiative and that the satellite’s payloads will be peace messages from several universities. Together with these international universities, Space Trust is developing the CubeSat, as a part of the bigger 0G2030 mission. The University of Nairobi will develop the Peace Satellite Project (PSP) spacecraft, while the University of Arizona will be in charge of the antenna needed to broadcast the space messages, as well as providing ground system support.
The Dubai-based space enthusiast is not a beginner when it comes to space adventures. She was the first person in the United Arab Emirates to travel to space, 17 years ago, when she paid almost $200,000 (Dh734,000) to join Virgin’s commercial space flight.
Her ultimate goal is to organize the first peace summit in space for world leaders. Namira believes that the accelerated commercialization of space should also get world leaders to be more involved and use its benefits to promote peace on Earth.
This unusual project, called the (Zero Gravity) 0G Peace Mission 2030 (0G2030), was developed by Namira’s non-profit organization called Space Trust. The project has been selected as one of the two finalists for a free launch opportunity by the United Nations’ Office for Outer Space Affairs.
In a recent interview with Khaleej Times, Salima explained that this is a student-led initiative and that the satellite’s payloads will be peace messages from several universities. Together with these international universities, Space Trust is developing the CubeSat, as a part of the bigger 0G2030 mission. The University of Nairobi will develop the Peace Satellite Project (PSP) spacecraft, while the University of Arizona will be in charge of the antenna needed to broadcast the space messages, as well as providing ground system support.
The Dubai-based space enthusiast is not a beginner when it comes to space adventures. She was the first person in the United Arab Emirates to travel to space, 17 years ago, when she paid almost $200,000 (Dh734,000) to join Virgin’s commercial space flight.
Her ultimate goal is to organize the first peace summit in space for world leaders. Namira believes that the accelerated commercialization of space should also get world leaders to be more involved and use its benefits to promote peace on Earth.