DubaiSat-1 Is Now 6 Years Old
DubaiSat-1 – UAE’s Pride
With UAE’s pursuit to conquer the world of space science, and to form and develop its own human resources with focus on this field, DubaiSat 1 was created and was launched 6 years ago; July 29, 2009.
DubaiSat-1 is a remote sensing Earth observation satellite built by the then “Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST), which is now Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), under an agreement with Satrec Initiative, a satellite manufacturing company in South Korea – wikipedia
It is a matter of patriotic pride for us that Emirati engineers participated in 30% of the building tasks when we were at the manufacturing stage, and that they have been fully responsible for its operations. Six years after its launch, the satellite remains accurate and maintains regular operations to date. This is a proof of the capabilities of the UAE’s engineers and the ability of the Centre to leverage the latest research and information in advanced technology and transform it into a satellite, thereby empowering the credibility of the Emirates in space science – H.E. Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Director General, (MBRSC)
Even until now, the satellite is in “its sun-synchronous polar orbit, 682 km above the Earth’s surface. It is fitted with systems and applications that help in urban planning, monitoring various environmental changes, assessing climate changes, like sand storms and fog, identifying the quality of water in the region and monitoring the tide in addition to supporting assistance and disaster relief missions.
Just like how the United Nations makes it useful during the monitoring of the relief efforts after 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Also, DubaiSat-1 played a significant role in monitoring the progress of Dubai’s mega projects i.e., Dubai World Islands, The Palm Islands and the Al Maktoum International Airport.
Due to its success, the Dubai Government entity MBRSC, whose behind DubaiSat-1, took charge of the “Hope Probe” to explore Mars. In 2002, DubaiSat 2 was also launched while Khalifa Sat is still underway.
Below are two images taken by the satellite recently.
Burj Khalifa l Image Credit: Supplied
Emirates Towers (Abraj Al Emarat) l Image Credit: Supplied
And to spread knowledge and awareness about the Centre’s work, local and global space science news and related discoveries and points of scientific interest from around the world, MBRSC launched the Majarat magazine.
One of MBRSC’s highest priorities is to create community awareness about science and technology. With its determination to educate the community and to continuously expose the new generation to this exciting and progressive sector that is evolving at impressive rates, the Centre also aims to enhance the UAE’s position as a pioneer in this field. We need to engage highly qualified personnel in the future, who will join the current team and work on the ambitious projects the Centre is planning in the field of space science and satellites – Mona Al Qemzi, Assistant Director General, Administrative and Financial, MBRSC and Managing Editor of the magazine
Majarat – Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre Magazine l Image Credit: Supplied
For more info, visit: www.mbrsc.ae
