Head of Saudi Space Commission says Saudi Arabia aspires to be one of the leading countries in the field of space by 2030 The Kingdom initiated the meeting during its presidency of the G20 last year LONDON: Saudi Arabia has included the space economy as one its main targeted sectors in its Vision 2030, an official said. “As the Kingdom attaches great importance to the field of space and its economy, as an extension of what it started with the first space flight in 1985, it aspires to be one of the leading countries in the field of space by 2030,” Dr. Mohammed Al-Tamimi, acting CEO of the Saudi Space Commission said. He was speaking during the second edition of the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting, held in the Italian capital, Rome, on Monday. He said that the slogan of this year’s meeting “Space for People, Planet and Prosperity,” embodied the fact that space exploration is not only a scientific achievement, but is also an important economic resource, and a factor in the prosperity of mankind. Al-Tamimi added that the Kingdom hoped the meeting, which it initiated during its presidency of the G20 last year, would continue to succeed, and looked forward to continuing efforts toward supporting countries toward diversifying their economies and preserving limited natural resources to enhance the space economy. He thanked Italy’s government, represented by the President of the Italian Space Agency, Giorgio Sacuccia, and the agency’s officials for their efforts in convening the second edition of “this important meeting.” The meeting discussed strengthening the role of the space economy globally and its concrete contributions to facing global challenges and achieving sustainable development goals, with the participation of space agencies and bodies from the G20 member states, a number of representatives of invited countries and heads of international and regional organizations. The Kingdom received widespread praise for its efforts and initiative to organize the first meeting of space leaders, which it included for the first time among the topics of the group’s agenda last year, with the aim of enhancing space cooperation between countries to maximize the benefits of the space economy and using space data to support sustainable development, food security and global health.