How the UAE's rocks and soil could become a vital resource for the space race

The UAE is to become an important source of rocks and soil that could be used to help test vehicles and equipment in conditions similar to the Moon or Mars.

Researchers have discovered that parts of the Hajar Mountains have geology suitable to test rovers or drills used in space missions. Kosmas Pavlopoulos, professor of environmental geomorphology at the Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and a scientist involved in the work, told The National that the results were “exceptionally promising”.

Not only do the identified areas have “elevated levels” of the required minerals, but they are also “located conveniently near existing transport and processing infrastructure”.

“Remote sensing data pinpointed prime extraction zones across Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman and Dubai,” Prof Pavlopoulos said.

Suitable rock and soil samples from Earth typically require complex processing to produce substances with properties similar to those o surface materials on other planets.

Show caption: Prof Kosmas Pavlopoulos of the Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi…

As well as being used to test mission hardware, simulants could help scientists to discover ways to extract oxygen or build materials from Martian or lunar soil or rock. That is essential if human colonies are to be set up on other planets.

“They are critical for space exploration because actual lunar and Martian samples collected during missions are extraordinarily rare, scientifically priceless and restricted from destructive testing,” Prof Pavlopoulos said.

Less than 400kg of material has been collected from the Moon, while none has been brought back from Mars. Meteorites from both planets have landed on Earth.

A Japanese rocket took off in October with the aim of collecting a soil sample from Phobos, one of the Martian moons.

Nasa said in a briefing document that “every technology being developed for use on the lunar surface needs to be tested with high-quality lunar simulants”.

Show caption: The UAE's terrain could play a crucial role in the space rac…

Urgent need

A wide variety of simulants for any given planet is needed, because, for example, the Moon’s lighter highland areas differ from its darker volcanic plains. “Establishing local sources of simulants would mark a strategic breakthrough for the UAE’s space ecosystem,” Prof Pavlopoulos said.

He said UAE research teams “require continuous, large-scale access” to simulants as the country develops its space programmes. These include the Emirates Lunar Mission, which is managed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai and involves sending rovers to explore the Moon’s surface.

Another key programme is the Emirates Mars Mission. Its Hope probe was launched in July 2020.

A local simulant industry would, Prof Pavlopoulos said, cut delays in securing supplies and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, while also providing universities in the UAE with affordable bulk materials so they can develop “world-class testing facilities” and rover testing areas.

It would also make the UAE a "key international exporter and regional hub for planetary simulants”, he added.

“As global space activity expands exponentially, with initiatives like the Artemis programme and commercial lunar payloads, the international demand for diverse, bulk-quantity simulants is outpacing supply,” Prof Pavlopoulos said. “This reality highlights the urgent need to discover and develop scalable, domestic and regionally accessible simulant sources.”

Looking to mountains

The researchers looked at the northern Hajar Mountains because that area is home to the Semail Ophiolite, which he described as a “unique geological formation”, Prof Pavlopoulos said.

Show caption: Prof Kosmas Pavlopoulos, of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, i…

Stretching hundreds of kilometres, it has been described as the world’s most completely exposed, largest and best-preserved area of oceanic crust, the thin outer layer beneath the oceans, and upper mantle, the area directly beneath the Earth’s crust.

This formation offers an "abundant supply” of various types of mafic rocks, which are rich in magnesium and iron. Those rock formations are naturally rich in essential types of primary minerals, which are formed from volcanic activity, Prof Pavlopoulos said.

“These are the exact mineral building blocks that dominate lunar mare basalts [dark rocks that cover impact basins on the Moon] and Martian surface rocks, making the region an exceptional natural laboratory for sourcing high-grade planetary simulant feedstock,” he said.

Scientists from the University of Sharjah, Oman's Sultan Qaboos University and the University of Lorraine in France were also involved in the discoveries described in the Planetary and Space Science journal.

The published work could be the starting point of efforts to find material for the space sector. “We plan to pursue follow-up work focused on the most promising regions identified in this study, subject to funding and logistical constraints,” Prof Pavlopoulos said.

There will be more detailed characterisation of the material, efforts to develop “more tailored mixing recipes” to produce simulants and a detailed evaluation of the simulants produced.

As well as being a key player in space exploration, the UAE could become an important provider of vital materials needed to enable missions.