A UAE newspaper has said that the country has never fallen short when it comes to thinking of the future, planning ahead and setting lofty goals for progress and advancement.

In an editorial on Thursday, The Gulf News said, "On the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai, the UAE set itself its most ambitious goal yet: building the first city on Mars. The project has a target date of 2117 and will be in collaboration with specialised international organisations and scientific institutes around the world.

"The Mars 2117 Project was announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

"As part of a 100-year national programme, the UAE will set a plan to prepare national cadres that can achieve scientific breakthroughs to facilitate the transport of people to the Red Planet over the next decades.

The paper added, "The 100-year plan will involve scientific research programmes to nurture national cadres specialised in space sciences at universities in the UAE. It will also entrench a passion for space in younger generations."