KhalifaSat goes into history: the first satellite built on the ground of the United Arab Emirates reaches the space

Dubai

The story was told at 8:08 am Monday when the KhalifaSat satellite of the United Arab Emirates has has been successfully launched into space, paving the way for the realization of the UAE 's space ambitions that extend over more than a century.

The KhalifaSat was launched at the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan and entered a low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 613 km at 9 am 33. am 85 minutes after its launch. The first signal was successfully received at the ground station of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC), which developed the satellite.

This successful launch marked a new milestone that adds to the achievements of the UAE and a new phase in the development of this satellite. the national space sector

Three teams of MBRSC were in Japan to supervise the launch, while another team was at the ground station of MBRSC to receive the first signal from the satellite. The teams burst with joy as soon as the confirmation of the orbital insertion, marking the success of the launch.

It was a moving moment. Some members burst into tears as hugs and greetings were exchanged.

In Dubai, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rachid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of the MBRSC, followed the first contact established by the satellite at the ground station. space center in Al Khawaneej. Shaikh Hamdan congratulated UAE leaders for a new milestone in guaranteeing a bright future for the country. He also thanked the MBRSC for its hard work.

Senior officials, namely Dr. Ahmad Abdullah Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Training and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agency United Arab Emirates; Khalid Al Ameri, UAE Ambbadador to Japan; Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, President of the MBRSC; Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Executive Director of MBRSC; Dr. Mohammad Nbader Al Ahbabi, Director General of the United Arab Emirates Space Agency; and Eng Salem Humaid Al Merri, Assistant Director-General for Scientific and Technical Affairs of the MBRSC were in Japan to attend the launch.

Al Mansouri said that the launch of this satellite during the year of Zayed "underlines the Emirati's determination to achieve this vision. the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who believed that building a nation requires investment in one's people, which is at the root of all development and real progress. "

Al Shaibani, for his part, dedicated this new Emirati achievement to the UAE's wise leadership, which believes in the ability of young men and women in the UAE.

" Management provided them with all the resources necessary to design and building the first Emirati satellite at MBRSC KhalifaSat is another important step in the UAE's space travel and space science and technology development program, "said Al Shaibani.

Amer Al Sayegh, KhalifaSat Project Manager at MBRSC, congratulated his team for years of hard work that finally paid off Monday

"KhalifaSat has demonstrated that the Emirati are able to improve the position of the UAE as a plaque global spin-off of the space industry I congratulate all members of the team who have contributed to the development of KhalifaSat and the monitoring of its successful launch ", Al Sayegh.

BOX:

1) What is KhalifaSat?

The KhalifaSat is an Earth observation satellite orbiting the Earth from one pole to the other at a distance of 613 km. The hexagonal design satellite features two decks as well as a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer top sunscreen that protects the sensitive camera system from extreme environmental space, especially fluctuations. temperature and radiation.

2) How the KhalifaSat works

The KhalifaSat works essentially like a camera specialized in space, propelled by the sun. To give you an idea, it's as if Earth is continually taking high resolution selfies.

3) What makes KhalifaSat unique?

The KhalifaSat is unique among the three other satellites developed by MBRSC because it was built from scratch. by highly qualified UAE engineers on UAE

He has filed five patents and developed seven space innovations that have equipped the satellite with an improved digital camera; fast downloading of images and high-speed communication capabilities from its location over the world; an automatic satellite control system with increased storage capacity; a satellite positioning technique that allows it to simultaneously capture multiple 3D images; as well as advanced target positioning to capture high quality images with high accuracy and high speed.

4) What will happen after the launch?

MBRSC has about a week to manage satellite telemetry, a satellite feature that collects information about distant target objects, then sends it electronically to the station

An orbit calibration will be performed to fix or adjust some sensor settings on the satellite to ensure they work well in the space. 19659003] 5) What is the first image taken by KhalifaSat?

The first official photo taken by KhalifaSat will be that of a "unique place" on Earth that will be revealed later.

6) What is the coverage of KhalifaSat?

The KhalifaSat has global coverage, which means that it can take pictures anywhere in the world.

7) What will happen to the images taken by KhalifaSat?

Ground Station at MBRSC in Dubai. The Ground Control team receives the images and processes them according to the requirements of the clients, in this case either the UAE government or the private sector.

8) What are the uses of KhalifaSat images?

be used to monitor environmental change and the impact of global warming, effectively manage urban planning and support relief efforts during natural disasters.

– with contributions from Faisal Masudi, Staff Reporter