Dubai Airshow 2015 to feature space agency, 3D printing

DUBAI - The biennial Dubai International Airshow 2015, which will kick off on Nov. 8, will host, for the first time since its inception in 1989, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency and a 3D Printshow, its organizer said on Wednesday.

Michele van Akelijen, managing director of the organizing firm F&E Aerospace, said the participation of the UAE Space Agency, which was founded in 2014, will advance the sector in the Gulf Arab state.

"The UAE has already invested 5.4 billion U.S. dollars into space technologies," said van Akelijen.

"It is an exciting time for the aerospace industry, particularly for space with projects like the mission to Mars, to gain worldwide attention.

By 2020, the UAE aims to launch an unmanned mission to Mars by sending a robotic space probe to the Red Planet.

Khalifa Al-Romaithi, chairman of the UAE Space Agency, said his country is operating six commercial satellites and aims to be among the top countries in this field by 2021.

The five-day show will also showcase 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing.

The show will bring together 1,100 exhibitors and feature over 160 aircraft on display.

It expects 65,000 professional visitors, around 5,000 more than two years ago.