Riyadh’s iconic Kingdom Center skyscraper has been put under a mandatory work-from-home contract as security fears grow of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Japan is also preparing for a high-profile space exploration mission to land on Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, to take away material and return it to Earth. While they are unrelated in nature, both are worrying for regional security and scientific research.
Riyadh’s Kingdom Center Makes Work From Home Mandatory
The Kingdom Center, a 99-storey skyscraper in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, is now telling employees working at the building to work from home until further notice according to local media. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported its management had told tenants that the work was mandatory and would be done immediately.
The notice didn’t specify the reason behind the decision. But it was made amid continuing security concerns linked to Houthi attacks originating from Yemen and the wider regional situation.
The Kingdom Center is one of Riyadh’s iconic locations and a major commercial centre. And its architectural features and office facilities are very much a part of the business landscape. A mandatory remote-working instruction for the employees working in the building has attracted considerable attention, especially in the security context.
According to the communication, the work-from-home arrangement will continue until management issues further instructions. The employees and tenants will need to see when normal workplace business can resume.
The decision does not, by itself, prove that the building has been directly targeted or that an attack on the skyscraper is imminent. The notice did not offer a specific explanation of the measure, so in what way the instruction was given, or what reasons did they give?
Houthi Attacks and Regional Security Concerns
Such incidents have raised concerns about infrastructure, commercial facilities, and transportation networks in wide sections of the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia has already seen terrorism linked to the Yemen conflict and so regional security remains a major concern for authorities and businesses. The broader situation may have implications for how work is conducted at work and the way companies communicate to staff on the precautions they take.
For businesses operating in major commercial centres, remote working decisions can be part of an operational plan when uncertainty is present. But there is no firm explanation from Kingdom Center management as to whether the new instruction was a response to a specific threat assessment or a broader precaution.
The order outlines how security developments can influence business operations in general, even in big urban centres that are important commercial hubs.
Japan’s MMX Mission Targets Mars’ Moon Phobos
In another major development, Japan is preparing its Mars Moons eXploration mission, commonly known as MMX. The mission to investigate Mars' moons, particularly Phobos, and return samples of material collected from its surface is led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Phobos is the larger of Mars' two moons and has an irregular, potato shape. It sits fairly close to Mars’ surface, less than 30 kilometres from it. Its unusual features have forced scientists to investigate it in detail, particularly in the context of how Mars’ moons form.
The MMX mission aims at collecting at least 10 grams of material from Phobos and bringing it back to Earth for laboratory analysis. If successful, it would deliver the first physical samples collected from the Martian moon system and then return to Earth.
The researchers hope that samples from Phobos could yield clues about the history of the Mars system. One of the most important questions is whether it was created from debris from the impact of a big asteroid on Mars or just a planet-mass object, and thus, could have been captured by the gravity of the planet.
Why the Phobos Sample-Return Mission Matters
Returning samples from other celestial bodies is a big job and involves navigation of a very complicated operation on the surface and a carefully planned return. But unlike the observations done remotely by the orbiters and landers, laboratory analysis of physical samples can give a picture about the chemical composition, structure, and history of a material.
The MMX mission will study Phobos, but do so with data on Mars and its environment. And its findings could help scientists better understand how planets formed and evolved and the processes that shaped the early Solar System.
A successful sample return would also be a great engineering accomplishment. Phobos is a small body with weak gravity and working around it presents issues for spacecraft navigation and surface contact. The spacecraft needs to reach the Martian system, do its observations and sampling, and return the collected material safely to Earth.
The mission’s scientific significance goes beyond just the samples. The mission’s journey and around Phobos could be used to better understand the moon’s surface and composition and its relationship with Mars.
Two Major Developments in Focus
The work-from-home order at Riyadh’s Kingdom Center and Japan’s preparations for the MMX mission highlight developments in two very different fields.
In Saudi Arabia, remote-working instruction has emerged amid regional security concerns, but the building’s management has not revealed the exact reason in the reported notice. In space exploration, Japan’s planned mission could answer long-standing questions about the origin of Phobos and the evolution of Mars’ moons.
One is precautionary workplace arrangements and the other is planetary science. Both of these developments are an illustration of how decisions made in response to complex problems can bring international attention. Kingdom Center management and JAXA will need to update us as to the workplace arrangements in Riyadh and the progress of Japan’s ambitious sample-return mission.
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