Speaker Series
International Cooperation in Space Exploration with UAE Space Agency Engineers
- September 16, 2026
- 5:30 pm MDT
- Doubletree at the Hilton
What does it take to send a spacecraft to Mars—or journey even farther to explore the asteroid belt? Beyond extraordinary science and engineering, missions of this scale require something equally important: international cooperation.
Join the Colorado Springs World Affairs Council for International Cooperation in Space Exploration, a timely conversation featuring experts from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and the UAE Space Agency. Together, they will take us behind the scenes of a remarkable partnership that has helped advance the UAE’s ambitions in deep-space exploration.
The evening will explore the Emirates Mars Mission (Hope Probe)—the UAE’s first mission to Mars—and look ahead to the Emirates Mission to Explore the Asteroid Belt, an ambitious mission being developed in partnership with LASP that is planned to visit multiple asteroids between Mars and Jupiter.
Meet the Panel
Heather Reed | Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, CU Boulder
An engineering program manager at LASP, Heather Reed served as the instrument payload manager for the Emirates Mars Mission. Her work provides firsthand insight into the technical coordination, knowledge sharing, and relationships required to turn an international partnership into a successful interplanetary mission.
Nic Ferrington | Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, CU Boulder
Representing LASP alongside Reed, Nic Ferrington brings the engineering perspective behind complex international space missions. He has been closely involved with the UAE-LASP partnership and can offer a behind-the-scenes look at how teams across countries and cultures work together to tackle the extraordinary challenges of deep-space exploration.
Heyam Alblooshi | UAE Space Agency
Heyam Alblooshi is a Mission Systems and Assembly, Integration and Test leader with the UAE Space Agency and an author of technical research on the Emirates Mission to Explore the Asteroid Belt. The mission is designed to travel through the inner solar system, conduct multiple asteroid flybys, and ultimately rendezvous with an asteroid in the main belt — advancing both fundamental science and the UAE’s capabilities in space exploration.
Moderated by Heidi Vasiloff | Space Foundation
Guiding the conversation will be Heidi Vasiloff, Interim Head of Space Workforce for Tomorrow (SWFT) and Senior Director of the Space Foundation Discovery Center. An experienced executive leader and educator, Vasiloff’s career spans education, nonprofit leadership, environmental science, organizational development, and STEM engagement. Her work at Space Foundation includes inspiring students and helping prepare the next generation to participate in the rapidly growing global space community.
From Colorado to Mars — and Beyond
This is more than a conversation about spacecraft. It’s a story about science as diplomacy: what becomes possible when nations share expertise, build trust, develop talent, and pursue discoveries that are bigger than any one country.
Whether you’re passionate about space, science, technology, diplomacy, international affairs — or simply curious about what lies beyond our planet — this is an evening you won’t want to miss.
What does it take to send a spacecraft to Mars—or journey even farther to explore the asteroid belt? Beyond extraordinary science and engineering, missions of this scale require something equally important: international cooperation.
Join the Colorado Springs World Affairs Council for International Cooperation in Space Exploration, a timely conversation featuring experts from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and the UAE Space Agency. Together, they will take us behind the scenes of a remarkable partnership that has helped advance the UAE’s ambitions in deep-space exploration.
The evening will explore the Emirates Mars Mission (Hope Probe)—the UAE’s first mission to Mars—and look ahead to the Emirates Mission to Explore the Asteroid Belt, an ambitious mission being developed in partnership with LASP that is planned to visit multiple asteroids between Mars and Jupiter.
Meet the Panel
Heather Reed | Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, CU Boulder
An engineering program manager at LASP, Heather Reed served as the instrument payload manager for the Emirates Mars Mission. Her work provides firsthand insight into the technical coordination, knowledge sharing, and relationships required to turn an international partnership into a successful interplanetary mission.
Nic Ferrington | Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, CU Boulder
Representing LASP alongside Reed, Nic Ferrington brings the engineering perspective behind complex international space missions. He has been closely involved with the UAE-LASP partnership and can offer a behind-the-scenes look at how teams across countries and cultures work together to tackle the extraordinary challenges of deep-space exploration.
Heyam Alblooshi | UAE Space Agency
Heyam Alblooshi is a Mission Systems and Assembly, Integration and Test leader with the UAE Space Agency and an author of technical research on the Emirates Mission to Explore the Asteroid Belt. The mission is designed to travel through the inner solar system, conduct multiple asteroid flybys, and ultimately rendezvous with an asteroid in the main belt — advancing both fundamental science and the UAE’s capabilities in space exploration.
Moderated by Heidi Vasiloff | Space Foundation
Guiding the conversation will be Heidi Vasiloff, Interim Head of Space Workforce for Tomorrow (SWFT) and Senior Director of the Space Foundation Discovery Center. An experienced executive leader and educator, Vasiloff’s career spans education, nonprofit leadership, environmental science, organizational development, and STEM engagement. Her work at Space Foundation includes inspiring students and helping prepare the next generation to participate in the rapidly growing global space community.
From Colorado to Mars — and Beyond
This is more than a conversation about spacecraft. It’s a story about science as diplomacy: what becomes possible when nations share expertise, build trust, develop talent, and pursue discoveries that are bigger than any one country.
Whether you’re passionate about space, science, technology, diplomacy, international affairs — or simply curious about what lies beyond our planet — this is an evening you won’t want to miss.
