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29 March 2024

UAE announces DubaiSat-3

(Supplied)

Published
By Joseph George

UAE has announced the launch of DubaiSat-3, the first semi-indigenous project that will be deployed in 2017.

A team of 45 experts and engineers from the UAE will lead the development of DubaiSaT-3 in collaboration with its South Korean partner Satrec Initiative.

Emirates Institute for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) today announced that it is not averse to looking into commercialization of space technology and work in close coordination with its South Korean partner towards achieving this.

Speaking during the launch of DubaiSat-3, Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Chairman of Board of Directors of EIAST, said DubaiSat-3 will initially be developed in South Korea and later transferred to EIAST's satellite manufacturing facility in the UAE.

He said the ultimate goal will be to develop a core team of local experts.

EIAST said it will also start developing its own clean room and satellite manufacturing facilities.

The facility will be located at the EIAST headquarters in Dubai and will be completed this year as part of preparations for the transfer of the DubaiSat-3 project to Dubai.

“In this regard, the DubaiSat-3 Project marks a very important step towards realizing this vision as our own UAE experts and engineers who will be taking a leadership role in the development of the satellite… The project tests our own satellite manufacturing capabilities and ultimately gives insights to further improve future satellite development programmes,” said Mansoori.

Salem Humaid Al Marri, Project Manager - Space Programme, says the UAE has identified Russia, Europe, USA, Japan and India as one of the possible destinations where the satellite could be launched from.

When asked as to when UAE would be in a position to develop its own technological capability to launch a fully indigenous satellite into the orbit, he said: “We are working towards it. However it also depends on the cost. If it works out cheaper for us to buy certain parts from outside then we prefer to use that option.”

EIAST also plans to launch several Nano satellites in coordination with various universities within the country.

According to Eng. Salem Al Marri, Assistant Director General for Scientific and Technical Affairs, EIAST, the satellite bus of DubaiSat-3 will be similar to that of DubaiSat-2, but there will be significant changes in its payload and the size of the camera. It will also feature a new, highly-sophisticated camera system, which works as an accurate magnifier achieving a sub-meter resolution of 70 centimetres from a distance of 600 kilometres above the surface of the Earth. “There will also be improvements in the download speed and computing capabilities,” added Eng. Al Marri.