Bedu, a Dubai-based web3 start-up, has launched Metaverse Project 2117, a new virtual world where users get to simulate the UAE’s planned mission to Mars.

The launch also featured the unveiling of new work by prominent Los Angeles-based NFT artist Ryan Wilson, who has come to be known as ThankYouX.

The new space exploration project aims to host 100 million users in the next 10 years, “leveraging blockchain and decentralised hosting techniques to deliver high-quality aesthetics.”

In line with Metaverse Project 2117, the Emirates will also build a complex of buildings called ‘Mars Scientific City.’

The city will have laboratories for food, energy and water, agricultural testing, and studies about food security in the future. It will also include a laboratory that will stimulate the planet’s terrain and harsh environment through advanced 3D printing technology, and heat and radiation insulation.

Earlier this week, Bedu partnered with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre to support it in the development of this metaverse.

Amin Al Zarouni, chief executive of Bedu, said the metaverse, in all fields, “will be able to complement the real-life economy, with the proper investments and manpower that will develop the infrastructure and regulatory framework over the coming decades.”

He added: “There is no greater illustration of the UAE’s tireless ambition and limitless vision than the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre’s Mars 2117 project. At Bedu, we are committed to reflecting that ambition in digital spaces. Visitors to our 2117 Metaverse will be able to get a taste of the final frontier for themselves. Mars is only a destination for us; our values are more focused on humanity.” 

The project is in line with the H.H Sheikh Hamdan’s vision for a digital UAE. In July, he launched the Dubai Metaverse Strategy, outlining his plan to create 40,000 additional jobs in the augmented and virtual reality sectors by 2030.

He also announced the Dubai Metaverse Assembly, which will be taking place on the 28th and 29th of September at the Museum of the Future and Emirates Towers, hosting more than 300 global experts, policymakers, thought leaders, and decision-makers from more than 40 organizations to discuss how to best leverage opportunities across strategic sectors and humanize metaverse applications to enhance quality of life.