Dubai (ALETIHAD)
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre’s (MBRSC) has nearly 15 space projects in progress, like the Lunar Gateway, the mission to build the Rashid 2 rover, the second study for space simulation, and the the “MBZ-SAT” satellite, set to be launched in the second half of this year.
The “MBZ-SAT” satellite, developed and built entirely by Emirati teams within the MBRSC, is one of the centre’s largest projects. The project’s success reflects the progress achieved in private sector space companies, which contributed to the development of 90% of the mechanical systems, 50% of the electronic systems, and 100% of the manufacturing of the cables used in the satellite.
The satellite, which took about four years to build, will enhance image capture accuracy by more than double the level of its predecessor, “Khalifa SAT”. It will triple the speed of downlink data transmission, and the fully automated system for scheduling and processing images will be capable of sending more than 10 times the images currently produced by the centre. The satellite features higher resolution and pixel density than current Earth observation satellites.
Among the technologies used in the project is ion propulsion, a system for ionising electric currents to move the satellite in outer space. MBRSC engineers have also developed a highly precise system for guiding and moving the satellite and identifying the locations of satellite images.
The centre’s utilisation of images and data provided by satellite will vary, with potential use cases including sustainable urban planning, monitoring environmental changes, predicting natural weather phenomena, monitoring water quality, and supporting efforts to address global crises and disaster management.
This includes assessing damage caused by disasters, helping organisations find solutions to mitigate the effects of floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, and facilitating reconstruction efforts.