News

Saudi Arabia To Host Sixth Halo Space Test Flight In September

The space tourism startup aims to conduct crewed flights in 2025 and commence full commercial operations by as early as 2026.

Published

5 months ago

August 13, 2024

Nour Nasir

Halo Space

Space tourism company Halo Space has announced plans for another test flight in Saudi Arabia, scheduled for September 2024, in collaboration with the Kingdom’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST).

The event will be Halo Space’s 6th test flight and a key milestone in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy. The test will deploy Halo Space’s prototype Aurora capsule, which will travel around 30 km into Earth’s high atmosphere and the edge of space. According to Alberto Castrillo, Halo Space’s Chief Technology Officer, the flight will further test the engineering of the high-tech craft:

“The mission is designed to meticulously validate all the 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 on the ground operating the flight”.

Frank Salzgeber, Acting Deputy Governor for the Space Sector at CST, added, “This innovative project represents a significant step forward in Space Tourism. 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”.

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Halo Space’s prototype test flights are in preparation for the launch of fully crewed missions, which are expected to take place in 2025. Commercial flights could be available from 2026 and will offer the completely unique experience of rising gently above the Earth in a balloon-lifted capsule.

The journey, spanning up to 200 horizontal km and 35 vertical km, will last over six hours, allowing passengers to witness the curvature of the Earth and the vastness of space. Halo Space aims to make space tourism accessible to a wide audience by 2030 and plans to carry over 10,000 passengers by the decade’s end.

Related Topics:Halo Space Saudi Arabia Space

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Cemplicity Is Bringing Real-Time Patient Insights To The UAE

The advanced healthcare platform offers tools for chronic disease management and improved patient experiences.

Published

8 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Nour Nasir

Cemplicity

Cemplicity — a leading health-tech company founded in 2013 — has launched its advanced platform in the UAE, aiming to revolutionize patient care and streamline healthcare operations to improve clinical outcomes.

Designed to analyze patient-reported data in real-time, the platform incorporates Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) to collect and analyze patient feedback. By transforming the data into actionable insights, healthcare providers will be better equipped to improve quality of care and increase efficiency.

Cemplicity’s technology can even tackle chronic conditions like diabetes, which affects 12.3% of the UAE population. By enabling regular symptom tracking and side-effect monitoring (even when patients are at home) the platform ensures proactive care management, and can also optimize early detection and screening of cancers.

Blaik Wilson, Cemplicity’s CEO, shared: “We are excited to bring Cemplicity to the UAE, a nation committed to healthcare excellence. With the private healthcare sector evolving at an impressive pace, partnering with such forward-thinking providers enables us to transform patient feedback into meaningful insights that enhance patient experiences and improve outcomes”.

Wilson added: “Globally, healthcare produces 30% of the world’s data volume. Aggregating and anonymizing patient-reported data not only uncovers trends and evaluates treatment outcomes but also advances the UAE’s broader ambition to lead in medical research and innovation”.

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With a presence in nine countries and partnerships with major healthcare providers like the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), Cemplicity has already redefined how hospitals and clinics leverage patient feedback. Its tools, known for achieving high survey response rates, help link patient experiences to organizational KPIs and Net Promoter Scores (NPS), enabling measurable improvements in operations, and clinical outcomes, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

For the UAE market, the platform has been specially adapted to local needs, offering multilingual support (including Arabic) and seamless integration with tools such as WhatsApp and various hospital management systems.