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Space Tourism Boosts Investments in Innovative Sectors, Advanced Technology in Saudi Arabia

HALO Space is set to launch its sixth space tourism test flight from Saudi Arabia in September. (HALO Space)
HALO Space is set to launch its sixth space tourism test flight from Saudi Arabia in September. (HALO Space)
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Space Tourism Boosts Investments in Innovative Sectors, Advanced Technology in Saudi Arabia

HALO Space is set to launch its sixth space tourism test flight from Saudi Arabia in September. (HALO Space)
HALO Space is set to launch its sixth space tourism test flight from Saudi Arabia in September. (HALO Space)

HALO Space, a Spanish startup in space tourism, is set to launch its sixth space tourism test flight from Saudi Arabia in September.

The announcement underscores the efforts the Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) have been making to demonstrate the Kingdom’s pioneering role in space tourism.

CEO of Halo Space Carlos Mira told Asharq Al-Awsat that the company is committed to supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 by accelerating efforts to support space tourism through its strategic partnerships with Saudi agencies.

He noted that the company has also set up an operational base in the Kingdom where it offers direct and close support to the transformation of all economic sectors.

Mira predicted a 700 percent rise in global space tourism trips in the first five years, reflecting HALO Space’s commitment to making space within everyone’s reach. It will also propel Saudi Arabia towards playing a more pioneering role in space exploration and pushing forward its innovation and economic diversification.

He underlined the close cooperation between the public and private sectors in adopting safety standards and protection measures, which are the foundations of the success of the mission.

The cooperation between the CST and GACA embodies HALO Space’s commitment to providing a safe flight in the near future, he added.

Managing Partner at Arthur D. Little Middle East and India and HALO Space board member Thomas Kuruvilla underscored the space tourism partnership with Saudi Arabia.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that HALO Space’s innovation is part of the Arthur D. Little company and in cooperation with relevant government agencies and aims to bolster Saudi Arabia’s pioneering role in space tourism.

Saudi Arabia’s readiness to become a launch base for HALO Space in the Middle East will lead to more investments in innovative sectors and advanced technologies, he went on to say.

This includes space exploration and tourism, he explained.

Saudi Arabia is set to go down in history for becoming one of the first countries in the world to launch a space tourism flight, he stressed.

The flight in September is a very significant step and it is also in line with Vision 2030, he stated.

This upcoming test flight will feature HALO Space's real-size prototype capsule, Aurora, which will ascend to 30 kilometers above the Earth's surface. The primary objective of this mission is to rigorously validate the integrated operation of all critical systems developed over the past three years, said the company in a statement.

Alberto Castrillo, Chief Technology Officer of HALO Space, stated: "This mission is designed to meticulously validate all our critical systems we’ve been developing for the past three years. The dates and location were set to ensure the reliable operation of our equipment and safe conditions for the teams that will be on the ground operating the flight."

CST has been working with and supporting HALO Space since the beginning of the year, overseeing preparations for the test flight, which is set against the backdrop of Saudi Vision 2030.

HALO Space's decision to establish its flagship operational base and final assembly site in Saudi Arabia underscores the Kingdom's ideal conditions for space exploration activities and support for innovative business models.

As this visionary plan aims to transform the Kingdom into a global hub for technological innovation and economic diversification, CST has also been collaborating with other government entities such as GACA, to meet all regulatory requirements for the test flight, emphasizing the commitment to the safety of both personnel and materials involved in this ground-breaking test.

Frank Salzgeber, Acting Deputy Governor for Space Sector at CST, highlighted the significance of this collaboration, stating: "Along with its regulatory mandate, CST is also undertaking an enabling role within the civil space sector, through fostering innovative business models, promoting space exploration activities, and supporting joint efforts with relevant authorities to develop space sector.”

“This innovative project represents a significant step forward in space tourism, and in support of such technological advancements and investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia, CST is always committed to providing regulatory frameworks that foster innovation among companies and projects like HALO Space while ensuring the safety of personnel and materials,” he added.

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Business

Oil Rises as Investors Weigh Outcome of Trump–Zelenskiy Meeting

Vehicles drive past the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP)
Vehicles drive past the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP)
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Oil Rises as Investors Weigh Outcome of Trump–Zelenskiy Meeting

Vehicles drive past the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP)
Vehicles drive past the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP)

Oil prices rose on Monday as investors weighed the outcome of talks between the US and Ukrainian presidents on a potential ​deal to end the war in Ukraine, as well as Middle East tensions that could disrupt supply.

Brent crude futures rose 67 cents, or 1.1%, to $61.31 per barrel at 0751 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was up 65 cents, or 1.15%, to $57.39.

Both benchmark prices fell more than 2% on Friday as investors weighed a looming global supply glut and ‌the possibility of a ‌Ukraine peace deal ahead of weekend ‌talks between ⁠Ukrainian ​President ‌Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US President Donald Trump.

Trump said on Sunday that he and Zelenskiy were "getting a lot closer, maybe very close" to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, while acknowledging that the fate of the disputed Donbas region remains a key unresolved issue.

The two leaders spoke at a ⁠joint press conference late Sunday afternoon after meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. ‌Trump said it will be clear "in ‍a few weeks" whether negotiations to ‍end the war will succeed.

The peace talks did not ‍reach an agreement on territorial issues, so a Russia–Ukraine peace deal may remain deadlocked with no quick breakthrough, said Mingyu Gao, energy and chemical chief researcher at China Futures.

The reason prices are rising also includes ​that geopolitical tensions remain elevated, as Russia and Ukraine continued striking each other's energy infrastructure over the weekend, said Yang ⁠An, a China-based analyst at Haitong Futures.

"The Middle East has also been unsettled recently, in Yemen and Iran saying the country is in a 'full-scale war' with the US, Europe, and Israel. This may be what's driving market concerns about potential supply disruptions," Yang added.

WTI is expected to trade within a $55-$60 range with an eye also on US enforcement actions against Venezuelan oil shipments and any fallout from the US military strike against ISIS targets in Nigeria, which produces about 1.5 million barrels ‌per day, IG analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.

Business

China's Finance Ministry: Fiscal Policies Will be More 'Proactive' in 2026

A man walks on a street in Beijing, China, 24 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO
A man walks on a street in Beijing, China, 24 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO
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China's Finance Ministry: Fiscal Policies Will be More 'Proactive' in 2026

A man walks on a street in Beijing, China, 24 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO
A man walks on a street in Beijing, China, 24 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO

China's finance ministry on Sunday said fiscal policies will be more proactive next year, reiterating its focus on domestic demand, technological innovation and a social safety net.

The statement comes as trading partners urge the world's second-biggest economy to reduce its reliance on exports, underscoring the urgency to revive confidence at home where a prolonged property crisis has rippled ⁠through the economy, weighing on sentiment.

China will boost consumption and actively expand investment in new productive forces and people's overall development, the ministry said in a statement after a two-day meeting at which it set ⁠2026 goals.

In addition, Reuters quoted the ministry as saying that it will support innovation to foster new growth engines, and improve the social security system by providing better healthcare and education services.

Other tasks for next year include promoting integration between urban and rural areas, and propelling China's transformation into a greener society.

China is likely to stick to ⁠its annual economic growth target of around 5% in 2026, government advisers and analysts told Reuters, a goal that would require authorities to keep fiscal and monetary spigots open as they seek to snap a deflationary spell.

Leaders this month promised to maintain a "proactive" fiscal policy next year that would stimulate both consumption and investment to maintain high economic growth.

Business

Bulgaria Adopts Euro Amid Fear and Uncertainty

Customers shop in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)
Customers shop in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)
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Bulgaria Adopts Euro Amid Fear and Uncertainty

Customers shop in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)
Customers shop in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)

Bulgaria will become the 21st country to adopt the euro on Thursday, but some believe the move could bring higher prices and add to instability in the European Union's poorest country.

A protest campaign emerged this year to "keep the Bulgarian lev", playing on public fears of price rises and a generally negative view of the euro among much of the population.

But successive governments have pushed to join the eurozone and supporters insist it will boost the economy, reinforce ties to the West and protect against Russia's influence.

The single currency first rolled out in 12 countries on January 1, 2002, and has since regularly extended its influence, with Croatia the last country to join in 2023.

But Bulgaria faces unique challenges, including anti-corruption protests that recently swept a conservative-led government from office, leaving the country on the verge of its eighth election in five years.

Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling institute, which has tracked public opinion on the euro for a year, told AFP any problems with euro adoption would be seized on by anti-EU politicians.

Any issues will become "part of the political campaign, which creates a basis for rhetoric directed against the EU", she said.

While far-right and pro-Russia parties have been behind several anti-euro protests, many people, especially in poor rural areas, worry about the new currency.

"Prices will go up. That's what friends of mine who live in Western Europe told me," Bilyana Nikolova, 53, who runs a grocery store in the village of Chuprene in northwestern Bulgaria, told AFP.

The latest survey by the EU's polling agency Eurobarometer suggested 49 percent of Bulgarians were against the single currency.

After hyperinflation in the 1990s, Bulgaria pegged its currency to the German mark and then to the euro, making the country dependent on the European Central Bank (ECB).

"It will now finally be able to take part in decision making within this monetary union," Georgi Angelov, senior economist at the Open Society Institute in Sofia, told AFP.

An EU member since 2007, Bulgaria joined the so-called "waiting room" to the single currency in 2020, at the same time as Croatia.

The gains of joining the euro are "substantial", ECB president Christine Lagarde said last month in Sofia, citing "smoother trade, lower financing costs and more stable prices".

Small and medium-sized enterprises stand to save an equivalent of some 500 million euros ($580 million) in exchange fees, she added.

One sector expected to benefit in the Black Sea nation is tourism, which this year generated around eight percent of the country's GDP.

Lagarde predicted the impact on consumer prices would be "modest and short-lived", saying in earlier euro changeovers, the impact was between 0.2 and 0.4 percentage points.

But consumers -- already struggling with inflation -- fear they will not be able to make ends meet, according to Dimitrova.

Food prices in November were up five percent year-on-year, according to the National Statistical Institute, more than double the eurozone average.

Parliament this year adopted empowered oversight bodies to investigate sharp price hikes and curb "unjustified" surges linked to the euro changeover.

But analysts fear wider political uncertainty risks delaying much needed anti-corruption reforms, which could have a knock-on effect on the wider economy.

"The challenge will be to have a stable government for at least one to two years, so we can fully reap the benefits of joining the euro area," Angelov said.