Successful launch of region’s most advanced satellite new milestone in UAE
Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and President of MBRSC, on Wednesday said MBZ-SAT satellite will aid development and sustainability.Taking to X, Sheikh Hamdan wrote: “We have successfully launched MBZ-SAT, the region’s most advanced satellite, marking a new milestone in the UAE’s space technology development.”Named in honour of the President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the satellite will significantly contribute to our development and sustainability efforts, he pointed out.“It delivers twice the image resolution, ten times more images, and data transmission speeds four times faster than current systems.”
Fully developed by Emirati engineers at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), MBZ-SAT reflects the UAE’s commitment to harnessing innovation to serve humanity across the world, Sheikh Hamdan added.The UAE on Tuesday night opened a new chapter in its space history by launching three satellites including MBZ-SAT.The massive Earth observation satellite was launched along with two other CubeSats made in participation of university students in the country — HCT-SAT 1, developed by students and faculty of the Higher Colleges of Technology under the guidance of MBRSC engineers and Al Ain Sat-1 developed by the National Space Science and Technology Centre at the UAE University in collaboration with multiple partners.
The three satellites were launched into space on board a Falcon 9 rocket of Elon Musk’s SpaceX from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.The rocket launch, part of SpaceX Transporter-12 rideshare mission with 131 payloads, was scheduled with a 27-minute window opening at 10:49pm in the UAE.The lift-off took place at 11.09pm, marking another milestone in the UAE’s ambitious space programme and reinforcing the nation’s reputation as a global leader in advanced space technologies and sustainable innovation.
SOURCE & CREDITS: gulfnews.com