[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]Next year, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to deploy the region’s most advanced imaging satellite. It was developed at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai and is named MBZ-Sat after President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
As part of a SpaceX ride-share mission, the 800-kg satellite will be launched into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket.
The Middle East’s most advanced high-accuracy, high-resolution imaging satellite, MBZ-Sat, will be launched. It will keep an eye on environmental changes, water quality, and agricultural development. The purpose is to improve the space sector’s participation in accomplishing the UAE’s environmental strategies.
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The majority of the mechanical components (90%) and half of the electrical modules for the MBZ-Sat were manufactured in the UAE, thereby helping the country’s domestic space industry.
The satellite was built in collaboration with five local companies, namely Strata, EPI, Rockford Xellerix, Halcon, and Falcon Group.
MBZ-Sat will be three times more powerful than KhalifaSat, an Emirati-built satellite that is currently in operation. It will include an automated image scheduling and processing system, allowing it to create ten times more photographs than the space center’s current capability. The pace of data transfer will be three times faster.
Strata Manufacturing, Falcon, and Rockford Xellerix collaborated on the MBZ-Sat structure, mechanical elements, and cabling harness, respectively. In collaboration with Emirates Global Aluminium and Gulf Extrusions, the aluminium used in the satellite is the world’s first to be made using solar power.
Previous Earth-observation satellites, DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2, contributed to the experience required for domestically produced satellites.
In the UAE, there is an increasing emphasis on promoting the private space sector. More enterprises are being involved by government bodies such as MBRSC and the UAE Space Agency.
AED 3 billion ($816 million) in funding has been established to assist startups and medium-sized firms, and specialised economic zones for space activities are being established.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]