MBRSC inaugurates new mission control centre building

Dubai: The Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre’s (MBRSC) new building that contains its mission control centre and new offices was officially inaugurated yesterday.

MBRSC chairman Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori led the ceremony the was attended by director-general Salem Humaid Al Merri, engineers, officials and staff. They later conducted a meeting in the new building.

AlMarri tweeted: “With the continuous support of our wise leadership, we continue to pursue the ever-enhancing journey of the work environment at MBRSC. Our goal is to provide whatever the team needs to continue achieving success.”

Established in 2006, MBRSC is an advanced scientific and technological hub, responsible for making the UAE a world leader in space services and exploration. According to its website, “MBRSC started out with five engineers, who took it upon themselves to develop their capabilities and expand their knowledge in the field of space, relying on strong will and solid determination.

“Since then, the Centre has continued its journey to be the incubator of the UAE National Space Programme.”

MBRSC has undertaken the tasks of building, developing, and operating a number of Earth observation satellites, providing imaging services, analysing and studying them, as well as producing relevant data to scientific communities and research centres around the world.

Among the satellites that the centre operates are DubaiSat-1 & DubaiSat-2. The MBRSC is also responsible for KhalifaSat, celebrated as the first satellite that was fully built by Emiratis in 2018. Recently, the centre revealed its plans to develop the new satellite MBZ-SAT, which is expected to be launched by end of this year.