Salem Humaid Al Marri

Salem Humaid Al Marri is the director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). He was appointed as the centre's chief in 2021, and he plays a key role in several of the UAE's space projects, including its astronaut programme and the Emirates Mars Mission. He was promoted to director general in 2022.

Background
Before getting appointed as the centre's chief, Al Marri was involved in setting up the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology in 2006, which went on to become the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in 2015.

In 2014, he was honored with the UAE Pioneers Award for his leadership in spearheading the development and successful launch of satellites. These awards were established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to recognize outstanding achievements by Emiratis in their respective domains.

He played a pivotal role in supervising the nation's inaugural human spaceflight space mission, which occurred in 2019 when Hazza AlMansouri embarked on a journey to the International Space Station.

Projects and programmes
Al Marri has supervised and overseen a number of programmes and projects as a part of the UAE National Space Programme, including Mars 2117, the Emirates Mars Mission, the UAE Astronaut Programme, the UAE Satellite Programme, the Emirates Lunar Mission, and human space flights.