UAE satellite, DubaiSat-1 launching delayed

Emirates Institution for Advanced Science & Technology (EIAST) has announced that the clustered launch of a satellite group including DubaiSat-1 has been postponed to July 29. The satellite was to have been launched on July 25. The launching company, International Space Company (Cosmotras), said the launch was postponed mainly to undertake more safety and security tests.

The DubaiSat-1 is the first remote sensing satellite owned by the UAE which represents the country's determination to possess advanced space technologies to fulfil the needs of scientific and technological research, as well as to provide up-to-date spatial and earth monitoring data that aids the holistic growth drive adopted by the nation, said a top official.

The UAE task force has already achieved all tests on DubaiSat-1 and presented its report on the readiness of the satellite for navigating into the outer space. EIAST is co-operating with Cosmotras to make the launch a success on July 29, 2009.

The launch of DubaiSat-1 consists of two segments; space, and ground. The space segment comprises development, design and manufacture of satellite equipment and components of the measurement and imaging.

The ground segment comprises mission control station, image receiving and processing station, and antenna and RF subsystem. Images from DubaiSat-1 can be used for many applications such as urban development, scientific research, telecommunications, transportation, civil engineering & constructions, mapping and GIS.