Cosmological Program Directorate
The Cosmological Program Directorate (CPD) (Arabic: ادارة البرنامج الكوني idārat al-barnāmij al-kūnī) is the most top-secret of the five directorates of the State Committee for Aerospace Engineering. Unlike the other directorates, which focus on aerospace planning, development, manufacturing, etc. of earth-bound aircraft for the Government of the Arab Union, the Arab Air Force and Arab Navy, the CPD is responsible for managing all aspects of the top-secret Arab Union space program. While the directorate maintains an office at the State Committee for Aerospace Engineering headquarters in Khastakhanat al-Ayatallah, Nasseria, the great majority of its activities take place in a variety of top-secret locations scattered throughout the republics of Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, The Peninsula, Syria and Yemen. The program director has been Dr. Roman Atallah since 2016.
The Cosmological Program Directorate was originally colloquially referred to by its staff as برنامج الكون (barnāmij al-kūn lit. "the cosmos program"), but soon found itself shortened to the acronym بركون (barkūn); usage of the latter was highly promoted by the government, as an extra line of defence against the leaking of information and thus further ensuring the program's remaining top-secret. As of 2024, only the Arab Union remains a spacefaring country to publicly deny the existence of its own space program; although it is believed some foreign intelligence agencies, notably the CIA and MI6 are convinced the Arab Union does indeed possess its own space program.
For the launching into space of Arab Union-operated civilian satellites which are not intended to be secret, launching is instead subcontracted to the space program of Iran.