Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and President of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), has officially approved the MBZ-SAT for launch no earlier than October 2024.
MBZ-SAT, 100 percent fully developed and built by a team of Emirati engineers, is the most advanced satellite in the region, and the latest addition to the UAE Satellite Programme.
Sheikh Hamdan was briefed on the latest updates and upcoming phases of MBZ-SAT during his visit to the headquarters of MBRSC.
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The briefing covered the satellite’s development, its capabilities, and the strategic plan for its deployment. Sheikh Hamdan expressed his confidence in the Centre’s capabilities to enhance the Arab region’s stature in the global space industry through pioneering projects like MBZ-SAT.
“We are on the brink of a transformative era in space exploration, and the upcoming launch of MBZ-SAT marks a pivotal moment that affirms the UAE’s growing influence as a significant global contributor to the field of space technology,” Sheikh Hamdan said.
Sheikh Hamdan also visited the clean room holding the MBZ-SAT and signed off on a plaque bearing the logo of the satellite.
Upcoming phases
Following the successful development of MBZ-SAT, the upcoming phase involves environmental testing, which is crucial to ensuring its resilience and functionality in the harsh conditions of space. Once the environmental testing is successfully completed, the final launch preparations will commence. The MBZ-SAT is scheduled for launch no earlier than October 2024 on a SpaceX rocket.
MBZ-SAT: From UAE to the World
The development of MBZ-SAT has played a key role in enhancing the sustainable space economy in the UAE. By involving local companies in the manufacturing of nearly 90 percent of its mechanical structures and most of its electronic modules, the satellite has significantly advanced the localisation of aerospace manufacturing in the region.
Additionally, equipped with one of the most powerful cameras ever developed in the region, the MBZ-SAT can capture high-resolution images with unprecedented clarity, covering areas less than one square metre in size. This capability not only meets the growing commercial demand for high-resolution satellite images, but also positions the UAE as a hub for high-tech space technology development and innovation.
The Centre will offer rapid turnaround of captured data round-the-clock, sharing it with users globally. This imagery solution can support a wide variety of uses within mapping and analysis, environmental monitoring, navigation, infrastructure management and disaster relief efforts, to name a few.
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