The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has signed an agreement with Tokyo-based R&D startup SpaceData to fuse the digital and space spheres.
SpaceData will create a high-fidelity lunar digital twin platform, delivering a detailed Earth-based digital twin platform.
For the Emirates Lunar Mission, SpaceData will provide a simulation environment leveraging MBRSC’s rover observation data for enhancing mission efficiency and accuracy in upcoming lunar exploration. SpaceData will also develop a digital twin environment to support lunar exploration training for UAE astronauts.
The high-fidelity simulation will replicate lunar surface conditions, providing detailed three-dimensional spatial and physical environmental data. The training will enhance UAE astronauts’ capabilities, ensuring safe and efficient exploration activities.
The Tokyo-based company will also develop a highly detailed digital twin of Dubai’s urban environment. This project aims to drive tourism and economic development by offering immersive, digital experiences of the city. The platform will enable virtual tourism, transcending geographical and temporal limitations, and unlocking new opportunities for global tourism demand.
By incorporating satellite and meteorological data, SpaceData will construct a disaster prediction digital twin for Dubai, focusing on large-scale disaster simulations to enhance safety.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, and Executive Chairman of XRG, has received the 2026 Distinguished Global Leadership Award from the Washington D.C.-based Middle East Institute (MEI).
Dubai has achieved its highest ever ranking in the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), climbing to seventh place, underscoring the emirate’s rise as one of the world's most influential financial hubs and its importance in the global financial system.
Global equity markets, including from the U.S., Europe and Asia, rose while oil prices fell on Wednesday, as traders cheered news of ceasefire proposals to de-escalate the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Australia's centre-left government has introduced legislation in the parliament to double penalties for fuel price gouging on Wednesday as global supply disruptions due to the Iran war triggered fuel shortages in some rural regions.
Gulf markets ended mixed on Tuesday, with Qatar extending losses while other bourses steadied as investors parsed conflicting signals on potential US-Iran talks.