The Planetary Science Group conducts research and development in Planetary Exploration. The focus is planetary environments (planets and their atmosphere, weather, climate, surface, and sub-surface). The group is involved in the study of science data from space missions to planets. That is supported by numerical models of planetary environments. The group is interested in all the bodies of the solar system (the Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, etc.) and analogue environments on the Earth. The group builds expertise in planetary science in the UAE academic community, by involving University students, at the graduate and undergraduate level.
The Planetary Science Group has expertise in Mars Science. There is ongoing research on various Mars topics, such as the combination of data from spacecraft and numerical models (data assimilation), Mars dust storms, and the upper Mars atmosphere. That includes international collaboration.
To summarize, the focus areas of the Planetary Science Group are: