Saudi Space Agency, Airbus Discuss Ways to Enhance Cooperation

Deputy Chairman of the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) Dr. Mohammed Saud Al-Tamimi held a meeting with the head of Aerospace at Airbus
Deputy Chairman of the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) Dr. Mohammed Saud Al-Tamimi held a meeting with the head of Aerospace at Airbus
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Saudi Space Agency, Airbus Discuss Ways to Enhance Cooperation

Deputy Chairman of the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) Dr. Mohammed Saud Al-Tamimi held a meeting with the head of Aerospace at Airbus
Deputy Chairman of the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) Dr. Mohammed Saud Al-Tamimi held a meeting with the head of Aerospace at Airbus

Deputy Chairman of the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) Dr. Mohammed Saud Al-Tamimi held a meeting on Tuesday with the head of Aerospace at Airbus, Dr. Jean-Marc Nasr, to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation in the field of space and its future sectors.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 54th edition of the Paris Air Show, held in the French capital, Paris.

Al-Tamimi and Nasr discussed opportunities for cooperation to develop the space sector and investment in future joint projects in the sector, to achieve common goals in the economic and strategic fields in the domain of space and its technologies.

Saudi Arabia has witnessed a rapid development in this field, and very recently, two Saudi astronauts, Rayana Barnawi, the first Arab and Muslim female astronaut, and Ali Al-Qarni, went on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Also Tuesday, chairman of the Board of Directors of SSA Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha met in Paris with President of the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES) Dr. Philippe Baptiste and with Chairman and CEO of the French company Thales Eng. Patrice Caine.

The meetings addressed ways of strengthening the strategic partnership between SSA, research centers, and international space companies, as well as ways to support cooperation mechanisms in the fields of space and innovation.

Al-Swaha and Baptiste discussed the scope of cooperation between the CNES and the SSA, as well as ways to increase sustainable development efforts through space activities held by the two sides, while with Caine, talks focused on the growth of the Saudi space sector and cooperation in transferring and developing human capabilities and investment opportunities between the SSA and Thales.



Greece to Build Escape Port on Santorini as Quakes Continue

FILE PHOTO: People board a ferry to Piraeus, during an increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People board a ferry to Piraeus, during an increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo
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Greece to Build Escape Port on Santorini as Quakes Continue

FILE PHOTO: People board a ferry to Piraeus, during an increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People board a ferry to Piraeus, during an increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo

Greece will soon set up an evacuation port on the island of Santorini to facilitate the safe escape of people in case a bigger quake hits the popular tourist destination, a Greek minister said on Monday.
Santorini, a volcanic island in the Aegean Sea, has been shaken by tens of thousands of mild quakes since late January, forcing thousands of people to flee, and authorities to ban construction activity, and shut schools and nearby islands.
No major damage has been reported but scientists have said the seismic activity was unprecedented even in a quake-prone country like Greece and have not ruled out bigger tremors.
They have identified the main ferry port at the foot of a precipitous slope and other sites across Santorini as weak links, although they have not said they cannot be used in an emergency situation, Reuters reported.
Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Greece will build an evacuation port for the safe docking of passenger ferries until a new port infrastructure is in place.
"Along with the new port in Santorini which is being prepared, there was a decision for setting up an escape port on the part of the island where passenger ferries would be able to dock in an emergency," he said in an interview with Greek ANT1 television.
Although the tremors lessened over the weekend, local authorities extended emergency measures for a third week on Sunday and reiterated calls for people to stay away from coastal areas and steep hillsides prone to landslides.
"This story is not over," Costas Papazachos, a seismology professor, and a spokesperson for the Santorini quakes told public broadcaster ERT.
"Both authorities and habitants should get used to a rather unpleasant situation for some time, it could be another two, three months."
Santorini took its current shape following one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, around 1600 BC.
Seismologists have said the latest seismic activity, the result of moving tectonic plates and magma, has pushed subsurface layers of the island upwards.