Aabar Investments is an investment vehicle for International Petroleum Investment Co.

FORBES: Abu Dhabi Oils Daimler's Wheels

Aabar, which is a major shareholder in Mercedes and has large stakes in banking and aviation companies, had never previously invested in real estate outside of Abu Dhabi.

WSJ: Developer Courts

About four years ago, he was introduced through a mutual friend to Khadem Al Qubaisi, a top executive of two major Abu Dhabi government investment funds: Aabar Investments and Tasameem.

WSJ: Developer Courts

Aabar was not just interested in space tourism.

ECONOMIST: Space

Will Whitehorn, Virgin Galactic's president, said that one of the things which attracted Aabar was the fact that White Knight (an aircraft which lifts to high altitude a rocket that can then take either passengers or satellites onwards into space) could be flown from Abu Dhabi.

ECONOMIST: Space