The UAE Ambassador to the United States, Yousef Al Otaiba, has been awarded the inaugural Meridian Center for Space Diplomacy award, the UAE Embassy in the United States announced.

According to Amac News: The Embassy of the UAE in the United States of America announced that this award was given in recognition of the efforts of the United Arab Emirates in the space sector.
Accepting this award on behalf of Al Otaiba, Ali Al-Suwaidi, the vice-chairman of the board, said: "This award shows the efforts of the Emirates Agency and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, from the launch of the first satellite made by the UAE to the sending of two satellites." astronauts to the International Space Station and becoming the fifth country to reach Mars.
Recently, the United Arab Emirates announced that it would create an airlock for NASA's Gateway. The United Arab Emirates currently collaborates with NASA in astronaut training and missions.
Meridian space diplomacy meeting was held at the same time as the space diplomacy week of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this meeting, global space industry players, diplomats, officials of the space agency and managers of specialized units have gathered to review common strategies.