The UAE has zoomed towards new heights in the global space race, riding on the success of homegrown satellites along with plans for building a city on Mars by the next century. To fuel this cosmic journey into the future, the country has also been nurturing local talent, and has recently selected its second set of astronauts, including the first Emirati woman who'll travel to space.

After sending its first two cosmonauts to the international space station, UAE has also created a simulated environment to provide a window for students in the country, to explore Mars in virtual reality. At the same time, Emirati students from Khalifa University have displayed their talent in the US, by launching rockets which they built from scratch.

The devices propelled towards the orbit from the Mojave desert, were created using 3D printed components, as part of a programme backed by edtech firm Decenture. The trio of budding aerospace engineers with sky high ambitions, spent 15 days to build the rockets in California.

In order to make sure that their product reached the desired altitude, the students also equipped them with a device that could delay or hold back the parachute. They were able to reach as high as 1500 metres, in their quest to become active participants in UAE's cosmic journey.

Excited to explore tech like 3D printing further, the young minds also programmed the device embedded in the rockets, to reduce the risk of a malfunction.

The company also has other programmes, and 150 Emirati students are linked to them, as they benefit from collaboration with peers from other countries. Apart from the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain have also sent out smaller satellites into the orbit to help students get a glimpse of how tech works in the cosmos.

Young Emiratis are showing an interest in space exploration at a time when the country is set to send a robot to the moon, and low orbit satellites are being touted as a key component for smart cities.