Virgin Galactic and Aabar Investments have announced the appointment of Steve Landeene to the role of chief advisor, Spaceport Abu Dhabi.

Between 2007 and 2010, Landeene was executive director of Spaceport America in New Mexico and oversaw the development of Virgin Galactic’s operational hub and the world’s first purpose built commercial spaceport.

Under a deal announced in 2009 between Virgin Galactic and Aabar, the two companies agreed that Abu Dhabi would gain exclusive regional rights, subject to the receipt of regulatory clearances, to host Virgin Galactic tourism and scientific research space flights.

Landeene’s appointment is an important step in bringing those plans to fruition, underscoring Abu Dhabi’s commitment to being an international destination of choice and a regional leader in tourism, advanced science, technology and higher education.

Landeene will be responsible for developing a roadmap for the proposed construction of a spaceport in Abu Dhabi.

Starting from strategic and organisational business planning, and then, if the requisite regulatory approvals are obtained, moving through to spaceport construction management and finally to spaceport operations, Landeene will ensure that Spaceport Abu Dhabi meets the objectives of its investors and complies with all applicable laws and regulations.

Commenting on the appointment, Mohamed Badawy Al-Husseiny, chief executive of Aabar said: “We are pleased that someone with Steve’s exceptional experience in aerospace and spaceport development has agreed to spearhead this exciting and important vision for the project.

“We are at the dawn of a new era in commercial space and are perfectly positioned with the world’s first spaceline, Virgin Galactic, to ensure that we are a prime beneficiary of the opportunities that will follow.

“This will become a regional hub for space tourism, as well as space-based science research and education. We look forward to working closely with Steve as he helps us to realize that dream.”

Underscoring the visionary nature of this appointment and reinforcing its commitment to Abu Dhabi, Virgin Galactic also announced a partnership with Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, to establish an intern program encouraging the next generation of leaders.

Commenting on the partnership Virgin Galactic chief executive George Whitesides said: “We share a commitment to higher education with the city of Abu Dhabi.

“As Virgin Galactic extends its global footprint, we intend to support the communities in which we are involved, and are eager for this intern program to become fully established. We are working with the university on an application process for this unique opportunity.”