Global space industry event heads to Dubai

Over 400 leaders from the global space industry are meeting to discuss risk management next month at the Fairmont Palm hotel in Dubai.

The theme of this year's World Space Risk Forum (WSRF) is 'Unlocking Business in Space'. The main goal of the three-day conference is to understand and mitigate risks, and share thoughts on promoting business development and exploration in Space.

The leading global forum for space development brings together satellite operators, manufacturers, launch providers, space agencies, risk managers, insurance brokers, underwriters, lawyers, and capital providers.

This year the WSRF has been further strengthened by strategic partnerships with Euroconsult, the leading global consulting firm specializing in space markets, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).

Laurent Lemaire, organising host of the WSRF and Chairman and CEO of DIFC-based elseco, the world’s largest space underwriting entity, said:

“Space is our tomorrow and holds the key to the continued evolution of mankind. It’s not surprising that the UAE as a forward thinking and pioneering nation has made a strategic bet to invest and grow the space sector.  This is the fourth time that we will be holding the WSRF in Dubai and the conference has grown in significance and continued to innovate.”

The agenda is comprehensive and encompasses topics including manufacturing and design innovations, regulatory and legal trends and implications, cyber and space debris risks, access to capital, and the impact of technology and new applications.

Salem Al Marri, Assistant Director General for Scientific and Technical Affairs at MBRSC, commented upon the partnership with WSRF 2016, saying: “We are honoured as Emiratis to be hosting the World Space Risk Forum of 2016 here in Dubai, and also on behalf of the Mohamed bin Rashid Space Centre, I would like to express my pleasure to be a partner of the forum, which we have offered our continued support to, since 2010. What we continue to strive for, with forums such as the World Space Risk Forum here in Dubai, is to continue working on creating a sustainable framework for space activity that matches the requirements of the rapid growth of the sector.”

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Read the October 2016 issue of Business Review Middle East magazine