خطوة إلى المستقبل: أن نكون روّاد الشرق الأوسط في رصد موجات الجاذبية

Whenever a gravitational wave passes, spacetime vibrates by an extremely small amount, but it is enough to tell the story of merging black holes or neutron stars at the edges of the universe. These whispers are not scientific literature; they are data that transform curiosity into knowledge, knowledge into technology, and technology into a new economy.
Today, the Kingdom has a historic opportunity to lead the region in this emerging field; not because "being first" is enticing, but because the path creates talents, patents, and startups in precision optics, lasers, ultra-high vacuum (UHV) technologies, control systems, signal processing, and high-performance computing. This path aligns directly with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in building a knowledge-based economy, developing human capabilities, and localizing advanced technologies.
How do we implement it practically?
* Organized scientific participation: Forming a national team to analyze data from global observatories and publish peer-reviewed research; entering the scientific network through the right door and accelerating local expertise.
* Qualification of competencies: Master's/PhD tracks and fellowships in precision optics, high vacuum, control systems, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing; to graduate engineers and researchers capable of operating detectors and innovating their technologies.
* National data center: A computing cluster (CPU/GPU) and a private cloud hosting updated versions of data and providing Arabic analytical tools, serving university teams and startups.
* Local prototypes: An advanced optics laboratory and a short interferometer (10–40 meters) for testing lasers, isolation, and control; a low-cost practical school with a quick training return.
* Industrial partnerships: Enabling local factories to localize precision components (high-quality mirrors, low-noise electronics, isolation mounts) through specialized development and acceleration contracts.
* Community engagement: Interactive exhibitions, school visits, and open Arabic courses; to make the project a national story attractive to talents and support.
Leadership and empowerment through the Saudi Space Agency:
* Establishing a national program for gravitational waves under the agency's supervision linking (universities, laboratories, industry).
* Competitive funding for precision optics laboratories and short interferometers, with fellowships and short scholarships to gain operational experience.
* Signing memorandums of understanding for scientific participation and technology development with international partners, including cooperation paths related to the LISA mission.
* Establishing a specialized business accelerator in precision technologies, such as high-quality mirrors, stable lasers, low-noise electronics, and vibration isolation systems, aimed at transforming academic research results into marketable products and linking universities with emerging factories while providing an industrial funding and mentoring environment that accelerates the localization of the supply chain for these strategic components.
* Supporting the ground station and digital infrastructure to receive data flows from global observatories, securely store them, and enable local analyses.
* A public awareness and communication program led by the authority: exhibitions, student competitions, and open Arabic courses.
The global scene… and why the opportunity is Saudi?

The operational network for gravitational wave detectors today includes the LIGO observatories in the United States, Virgo in Italy, KAGRA in Japan, and GEO600 in Germany; while LIGO-India is under construction. So far, there are no operational ground-based interferometers in the Middle East — this gap can be filled by the Kingdom with real scientific and engineering value, especially in improving event localization through the expansion of the observatory network. In space, the LISA mission has been approved to be the first space observatory for low-frequency gravitational waves in the mid-thirties, opening the door for precise scientific and industrial partnerships (optics, lasers, ultra-precision measurement) that can be engaged in early.
Expected questions… and direct answers
* Is the cost high? Yes, if we start with the largest facilities. The solution: a phased approach starting with laboratories, education, and experimentation with quick returns, then expanding through studied partnerships.
* What is the immediate benefit? Competencies and technologies serving medicine, aviation, space, and industry: more precise devices, more stable sensing and navigation, and safer production lines.
* Will we remain dependent? Scientific openness creates sovereignty: we enter partnerships, add value, and build our capabilities locally step by step—from the laboratory to the systems.
Every passing wave is an opportunity. To listen to it today means to establish tomorrow a Saudi school in science and technology that is rare; an investment in people and industry, and a platform to place the Kingdom at the heart of the sciences of the twenty-first century.
I call on the Saudi Space Agency to lead this file in coordination with universities and the private sector, as a national project that connects space with the observation of gravitational waves.