It was called "MBZ-Sat" after Mohammed bin Zayed

Mohammed bin Rashid announces the start of the development and construction of the second satellite by an Emirati team

• Mohammed bin Rashid during the announcement of a second Emirati satellite project by Emirati engineers.

  WAM

• The new satellite is the fourth satellite to be developed by "Mohammed bin Rashid Space" to boost commercial demand.

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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced the new Emirati satellite project "MBZ-Sat", the second Emirati satellite to be fully developed and built by a team of Emirati engineers, after the "Khalifa" satellite. sat".

"MBZ-Sat", which will be worked on at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai, will be the most advanced civilian satellite in the region in the field of high-resolution and high-resolution satellite imagery, as it is expected to be launched in 2023.

His Highness said: “The space sector is one of the important strategic sectors in which we proceed strongly due to its connection with the future, and its impact on improving the quality of human life and providing them with innovative solutions that enable them to always develop for the better, and we have national cadres what enables us to raise the ceiling of ambitions, in line with our confidence. "We are fully capable of providing qualitative additions that integrate with international efforts in the field of space science and industries, and we achieve leadership in this field regionally, in a way that serves the region and the world."

His Highness added: “We chose the name MBZ-Sat for the new satellite, which will be developed with pure Emirati hands and competencies, which are the initials of the name of my brother His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed ... in honor of this dear name, whose owner stands behind achievements we are proud of among nations and peoples. Our goal is to reach the maximum benefit from space science and industries, and the new capabilities that can be utilized in this field to support development and development efforts in our country and the region, and to enhance the ability of societies to face the environmental and development challenges they may face, and to help them discover what the future holds for humans. Opportunities for prosperity, progress and prosperity ».

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum had chosen the name “Khalifa Sat” for the Emirati satellite, which was launched into space in October 2018, in honor of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, as it was the first artificial satellite to be built and manufactured. In the UAE, with 100% national competencies, work began in 2013, to be the first artificial satellite with pure Arab production, marking a new phase in the Arab world entering the era of space industrialization, and competition in the field of space industries, space science and advanced technology.

The satellite "MBZ-Sat" will be equipped with an automated system for arranging images around the clock, ensuring that it provides images that imitate the highest standards of resolution for satellite images intended for commercial use in the world.

This project will strengthen the UAE's partnerships in the fields of space between the two private government sectors.

"MBZ-Sat" will contribute to meeting the growing commercial demand for satellites that provide high-resolution images that allow viewing details within an area of ​​less than one square meter, which is one of the most advanced features in space.

Thanks to the strategic planning of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, and the approach that the center has taken over the past years to qualify and train Emirati cadres of engineers, experts and technicians, a 100% Emirati team will work on developing the new satellite inside the center's laboratories.

The center will cooperate with national companies related to the space sector, to manufacture and supply the components necessary for the development of "MBZ-Sat", which creates a strategic cooperation that will enhance the sustainability of the national space sector in the UAE.

After launching the satellite to low earth orbit, the ground station team at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, which is highly qualified, will operate the satellite, receive and analyze data received from it, make recommendations and provide high-resolution data and images to local and international entities and entities, through the station The floor equipped with the latest technology.

The center will provide the processed data and high-resolution images to the relevant local and international entities and bodies, through an advanced platform developed specifically for this purpose.

The methods of benefiting from the images and data provided by the center vary between their use in the fields of sustainable urban planning, monitoring environmental changes, in addition to anticipating natural weather phenomena and monitoring water quality, in addition to supporting its efforts to address crises and manage global disasters, which include assessing damage caused by disasters, In addition to helping organizations find solutions to mitigate the effects of floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, and reconstruction.

"MBZ-Sat", which weighs about 700 kg, is characterized by its high ability to improve image capture accuracy by more than double, compared to its previously launched counterpart, in addition to increasing the speed of data transfer and download by three times over the current capabilities.

The moon's fully automated image scheduling and processing system helps produce 10 times more images than the center currently produces.

Pre-approvals have been obtained to facilitate the automation process, as government agencies and commercial establishments can submit online requests for high-resolution images around the clock.

Depending on the location of the satellite, image processing and downloading can be completed within less than two hours of receiving the request.

The satellite will also rely on a global processing network, by making use of the machine learning capabilities of the service provider, allowing processing requests and delivering high-resolution images within a very short time.

"MBZ-Sat" will be the first satellite with the ability to monitor a large number of targets (natural and man-made) with high accuracy that surpasses the satellites designated for monitoring purposes.

In addition, the new system in the satellite will flexibly and quickly collect and process raw data, thanks to improved artificial intelligence functions, which also help in analyzing and processing satellite images faster.

Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, said: “Today we believe in the importance of sustainable partnerships and cooperation efforts between the government and private sectors, and the leadership of the UAE has always adopted a constructive and future-oriented work approach that provides exceptional capabilities and ensures the state continues the march of scientific and technological progress.

There is no doubt that the launch of the satellite (MBZ-Sat), which is equipped with new and innovative services, represents a glimpse of the country's future in the space sector.

We believe that it is our duty to cooperate with all our partners, in order to enhance the opportunities for achieving sustainable and comprehensive growth for the Emirati contribution in this field. ”

For his part, Director General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, Youssef Hamad Al-Shaibani, said: “Our experienced and highly qualified cadres at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center have always succeeded in facing the most difficult challenges, starting with building and developing the first Emirati satellite and launching the first Arab space mission to Mars. , Leading to the development of the satellite (MBZ-Sat), which will contribute to strengthening the leadership of the center as a pioneer in the space sector in the region, in addition to expanding our ability to serve a wider base of customers around the world, as well as consolidating the UAE's position in the global space sector. .

In the same context, the Director of the Space Systems Development Department, the director of the MBZ-Sat satellite project at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, Eng. Amer Al-Sayegh Al-Ghafri, said: “We expect that advanced technologies to capture images in the new satellite (MBZ-Sat) will help to set new standards. In terms of satellites designated for civilian use, this will enhance the uniqueness of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center among the few centers in the world capable of developing advanced imaging technologies using satellites.

In addition to providing a comprehensive source for satellite images, we will prepare a specialized team within the center to analyze the data collected by the new moon.

The new satellite is the fourth Earth observation satellite to be developed and launched by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, as it strengthens the center's efforts to expand its portfolio of imaging technologies and products for government agencies and commercial institutions around the world.

For more than a decade, the center has been committed to providing detailed and high-quality satellite images captured via the satellites "Dubai Sat-1", "Dubai Sat-2" and "Khalifa Sat", in line with the requirements and needs of government institutions and private sector companies in Around the world.

The center has become a member of the "International Charter for Space and Disasters" and joined the "Sentinel Asia" initiative, in addition to its pivotal contributions to disaster relief efforts and their management according to the highest levels of efficiency.

Building a sustainable space sector

Since its establishment, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center has been dedicated to achieving positive benefits for societies, by sharing innovations and valuable knowledge with companies and institutions around the world, with the aim of achieving sustainable development.

This is in line with the policy of the Emirates National Space Program, which aims to “build a strong and sustainable Emirati space sector that contributes to supporting and protecting national interests and vital sectors, achieving diversification and economic growth, strengthening national specialized competencies, developing high scientific and technical capabilities, and spreading a culture of innovation and national pride, And consolidating the role of the UAE and its position regionally and globally. ”

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center relies on fruitful partnerships, especially between the government and private sectors, and considers them an essential and strategic component to support the development of commercial activities and the development of new and innovative satellite technologies.

The development of the "MBZ-Sat" satellite will contribute to strengthening the UAE space sector, by focusing on developing a sustainable business system, which includes leading local companies in the field of manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, electronic control panels, specialized testing facilities, data analysis and others.

During the past years, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center was keen to enter into partnerships with private companies in the space and technology field.

The center plans to continue to strengthen cooperation with private companies and contribute to building a sustainable Emirati space sector, to encourage data studies, and to launch more satellite technology manufacturing operations and test centers in the UAE.

The third quarter of 2023 is the expected date for the launch of "MBZ-Sat"

The director of the Space Systems Development Department, the director of the satellite project "MBZ-Sat" at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, Eng. Amer Al Sayegh Al-Ghafri, said that the expected date for the launch of the new satellite will be in the third quarter of 2023, but no entity has yet been approved. The launch.

"The life span of MBZ-Sat is five years, while it is expected to provide its services for a period of seven years," Al-Ghafri said in a press conference on the launch of the new satellite, indicating that the satellite will provide high-quality satellite data, and cooperation will be made with international relief institutions. With regard to providing information about natural disasters.

He stated that "more than 200 citizen engineers work on various projects in the center, ranging in age from 27 to 28 years, most of them women."

He said, "It will communicate with national companies specialized in the field of technology, to take advantage of the advanced technology for the manufacture of parts of the new moon."

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