Moscow State University and Arab Universities Launch Joint Project to Study Exoplanets

MSU Rector and President of the Russian Union of Rectors, Academician V.A. Sadovnichy, and Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities, Professor Amr Ezzat Salama, launched a large-scale Russian-Arab project to create a space observatory to study exoplanets and search for signs of life in the Universe.

Moscow State University Rector, Academician V.A. Sadovnichy: "The signing of the declaration establishing the Russian-Arab University Consortium to create an orbital telescope aimed at searching for signs of extraterrestrial life is the cornerstone of the largest space exploration project in recent memory. In its implementation, we are counting on unprecedentedly broad cooperation between countries, comparable only to the international collaboration on the ISS project. For the first time in history, universities are initiating such a serious scientific program. It is of fundamental importance to us that our Arab friends will be MSU's partners. This is both a sign of respect for the Arab heritage in astronomy, mathematics, and navigation, and our contribution to the business agenda of the First Russian-Arab Summit, which, at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be held in Moscow on October 15, 2025."

Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary General of the Association of Arab Universities: "We are pleased to collaborate and develop relations between Arab and Russian universities. Since 2018, four Rectors' Forums have been successfully held. The fifth will be held in Egypt at the end of this year. Hosting this forum is a great honor. The entire leadership of the Arab Republic of Egypt shares this sentiment. Without a doubt, today's signing of the declaration on the creation of a space observatory to study exoplanets and search for signs of life will be a worthy example of cooperation between Russia and Arab countries in space research."

The consortium is being created as a platform for coordinating efforts to design, build, and subsequently operate a space observatory for the search and study of exoplanets. It will be based on Moscow University's developments in the creation and launch by 2030 of a medium-class optical space telescope for multi-wavelength precision photometry from infrared to ultraviolet ranges to study the properties of exoplanets. This instrument will enable the study of exoplanet atmospheres and the identification of potentially habitable worlds for further detailed study by large telescopes, the construction of which is already planned by the space programs of various countries. The Russian-Arab space observatory project to study exoplanets and search for signs of life in the Universe involves the participation of leading universities, research institutes, industrial enterprises, and space agencies from Russia and the Arab world. A key component will be the development of engineering and STEAM education in the creation of complex space systems, including satellite platforms, optical instruments, and telescopes. The declaration establishing the Consortium outlines its priorities in the spirit of open science and international cooperation, as well as compliance with international space law. Several Arab universities, such as Sultan Qaboos University (Oman) and the University of Sharjah (UAE), are already collaborating with Moscow State University on space exploration collaboration. During a joint summer internship at the company "Trust Technologies," students from Moscow State University and Sultan Qaboos University developed a roadmap for the creation of the space observatory.

The Russian side was represented at the meeting by Vladimir Solovyov, Scientific Director of the Faculty of Space Research at Moscow University, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Askar Akayev, Professor of the Department of Globalistics of the Faculty of Global Processes at Moscow State University, Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Yuri Mazei, Vice-Rector of Moscow University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Konstantin Postnov, Director of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (GAISh) at Moscow State University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Eduard Boos, Director of the Skobeltsyn Research Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP) at Moscow State University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Vasily Sazonov, Dean of the Faculty of Space Research at Moscow University, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Vladimir Alexandrov, Professor of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Alexander Belinsky, Deputy Director for Research and Prospective Development at GAISh at Moscow State University; Vladislav Osedlo, Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University; Gennady Alferenko, Advisor to the Managing Partner of Technologies of Trust.

The Association of Arab Universities is one of the largest regional inter-university associations operating within the framework of the League of Arab States. It was founded in 1964 by a resolution of the League. Today, the Association comprises 280 universities from 22 countries.

Cooperation between Moscow State University, the Russian Union of Rectors, and the Association of Arab Universities began in 2017 at the initiative of Academician V.A. Sadovnichy, Rector of Moscow State University and President of the Russian Union of Rectors, with the signing of a memorandum establishing the Federation of Russian and Arab Universities. On February 19-20, 2018, the first forum of the Federation of Rectors of Russian and Arab Universities was held in Beirut, Lebanon, where prospects for cooperation between Russia and Arab countries in education, science, and the humanities were discussed. Following the forum, the parties concluded a number of inter-university agreements that cemented the implementation of joint educational programs and scientific, educational, research, and academic partnerships. The fourth Federation Forum was held at Lomonosov Moscow State University in 2024.