UAE | General
UAE makes giant leap with first 'eye in the sky' satellite
DubaiSat-1 will provide the UAE with its first dedicated 'eye in the sky'.
- By Kevin Scott, Staff Reporter
- Published: 16:34 July 29, 2009
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
- DubaiSat-1 was built in collaboration with the South Korea-based Satrec initiative and with the help of EAIST engineers.
Dubai: The UAE's first Earth Observation Satellite was scheduled to blast into orbit on Wednesday evening.
DubaiSat-1 was due to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10.46pm with five other satellites from around the world.
It was to be launched aboard a converted Dnepr rocket through the Moscow-based International Space Company (ISC) Kosmotras. DubaiSat-1 will provide the UAE with its first dedicated 'eye in the sky'.
The project, run by the Emirates Institute for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST), cost almost $50 million (Dh184 million) and the satellite has a minimum lifespan of five years.
DubaiSat-1 was to go into orbit 680km above the earth with an orbital speed of 27,000 km/h.
Ahmad Obaid Al Mansouri, director-general of EIAST, said: "Developing a core team of UAE scientists and experts was the most definitive outcome of a strategy that is geared to support mature, knowledge-based development.
"Developing a base of UAE scientists and engineers is a crucial first step in becoming a regional and global leader in the fields of advanced science and technology."
DubaiSat-1 was built in collaboration with the South Korea-based Satrec initiative and with the help of EAIST engineers.
Its development team is already working on final designs for DubaiSat-2 as well as continuing with plans to create the country's first constellation of satellites.
DubaiSat-1 is the first remote-sensing satellite wholly-owned by a UAE entity. It aims to meet the needs of the UAE and Dubai in acquiring the technology of satellites and the continuous need for spatial information and earth observation data needs of the country.
The launch was originally scheduled for last Saturday but it was delayed to allow for additional safety and security testing.
Al Mansouri said: "Delays in launching procedures are not unusual and happen frequently as it is linked to the results of the final tests undertaken by the team of scientists and experts to ensure accomplishing the process in the smoothest way possible."
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