Al-Ittihad newspaper – Where is the launch of a satellite?

The first United Arab Emirates satellite successfully developed by the Tanjashima space station on October 29 is the first satellite developed by the United Arab Emirates.
But why all this hype? Satellites are launched continuously, with nearly 100 satellites in orbit each year. Even Khalifa Sat is not the first space project to name the UAE, there are eight other Emirati satellites in orbit around the Earth.
What is extraordinary about Khalifat Sat, which was particularly media-centric, is that it is a sophisticated technological feat whose concept, design and construction have been fully developed by scientists and engineers UAE. It is also the first satellite built in the laboratories of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, which was created to enable the United Arab Emirates to occupy a leading position in the space industry.
What is truly commendable is the ability of the UAE to compete with space technologies despite their modernity, which has become a powerful force among developed countries with a long history in the space sector even before the creation of our state. . In 1975, the United States brought 12 men to the moon and launched the Voyager probe in March the same year, during which the Soviet Union launched an investigation into Venus. That year, the percentage of adults with basic reading and writing skills in the United Arab Emirates was 54% for men and 31% for women, with a population of just half a million.
Today, the proportion of literate women and men in the country has exceeded 90% and is increasing by 21% a year, according to the Knoema global statistical platform, which has 9.4 million people. 39; inhabitants. The state has distinguished itself on the international scene and the higher education sector is an integral part of this exceptional growth and deserves mention in the Khalifa Sat framework. The launch of the satellite was not only a historic event in the nascent space sector of the country, but also a tangible demonstration of the commitment of UAE leaders to invest in the education sector.
The story of Khalifa Sat goes back to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the United Arab Emirates, who placed the education of his people at the top of his priorities. "The biggest investment in money is to invest in creating generations of educated and educated people.The balance of any developed country is its educated people, and the progress of peoples and nations is measured by the level and extent of education. "
Sheikh Zayed's desire to improve the Emirati people's access to education, whatever its origin, is something I have personally experienced. To pursue his dream. Thanks to the policies, vision and guidance of the late Sheikh Zayed, my father was able to realize his dream: to study medicine at Cairo University through a fellowship and spend the rest of his career in the medical services of armed forces until his retirement.
From my personal and professional experience, I became convinced of lifelong learning and the opportunity to receive science at any age. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics, not only because our satellites are launched in space, but also as cornerstones of our country for the construction of a sustainable future. Three years ago, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, announced our country's commitment to teach these disciplines through the adoption of advanced policy Emirates Science, Technology and Innovation. This policy includes 100 national initiatives covering the education, health, energy, transport, space and water sectors, with the adoption of new national policies aimed at creating a sustainable economy. vital knowledge for the UAE and place it at the forefront of advanced skills in the world.
We are proud to have launched the first fully emirati satellite, which is an important step in our journey, just as the Saturn 5 rocket was an important step in bringing the first man to the moon. Khalifa Sat is also a milestone in the United Arab Emirates 'march towards the launch of Al-Amal, the United Arab Emirates' Mars Exploration Project in 2020 – the region's first spacecraft and the Arab-Islamic project first exploration of Mars. We can look further to see the UAE establish the first city on Mars in the first half of the next century.
In conclusion, it must be said that the UAE does not want to explore space as an end in itself, but the goal was and remains the people of the UAE. The country's firm commitment to research and development will always be human, and the focus on the individual is first and foremost a commitment adopted by the UAE since its inception, a strategy that has not been implemented. proved useful again and again. Today's investment has enabled scientists and engineers to have developed the first fully emirati satellite and to follow their trajectory in order to bring humanity to a greater height in space. What will follow will be the determination of our people, who knows no limits to ambition and determination.