His Excellency Mr Ahmed Al Mansoori, Director General and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors,
EIAST
Press conference - DubaiSat-1 launch details
Your excellencies,
Distinguished members of the media, good morning
Thank you your Excellency Mr Ghanim. It is official now. We are ready to launch DubaiSat-1 in 51 days.
The countdown has started and on July 25, 2009, the UAE will make history as DubaiSat-1 will be launched on board the Russian Dnepr rocket among six other satellites from UK, USA and Spain. The satellite marks the UAE’s entry into a new era of innovation and scientific and technological exploration.
Honored guests,
With the launch of DubaiSat-1, we are reiterating our goal to strengthen the involvement of UAE nationals in space technology research. We are investing in our National human resources in sectors that are at the cutting edge of technology.
The launch of DubaiSat-1 is the effort and expertise of several young UAE nationals, who made considerable contribution to the strategic project over the past two years.
We selected a team of UAE national experts of engineers and specialists to work on the project. Later another team was formed to work on the feasibility and research stages, which were the preliminary phases of DubaiSat-1.
At this stage, all the requirements including scientific equipment, technology and collaboration with international companies in the field were determined. After a close scrutiny of these, the best options were considered and selected. We chose our international partners on the basis of their previous track-record, commitment to knowledge transfer and economic feasibility.
We also made sure that these partners supported the training and development of UAE nationals, and I’m proud to say that the young men and women of the UAE are responsible for more than 30 percent of the project implementation over the two years.
The development of a satellite is a very complicated process and we are proud to say that what we have achieved so far can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of our national engineers and scientists. DubaiSat-1 will undoubtedly be a sterling addition to the UAE’s strategic accomplishments.
Honoured guests,
DubaiSat-1 will be launched under the supervision and with the authorization of the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) through the Moscow-based International Space Company (ISC) Kosmotras. Both are internationally renowned space partners with a very sound track record. The launch process is subject to a number of factors and variables such as weather conditions and technical factors and the possibility of access to orbit - factors that we have planned for very well.
DubaiSat-1 is designed for a minimum lifetime of 5 years in-orbit operation, and has been tailored for earth observation and remote sensing. The satellite is capable of high resolution imaging and is in line with internationally recognised standards in the field of remote sensing and civilian use of satellites.
Images from DubaiSat-1 can be used for many applications such as urban development, scientific research, telecommunications, transportation, civil engineering & constructions, mapping and GIS.
DubaiSat-1 moves in orbit around the hemisphere, allowing access to the services provided by the country it traverses. The possibility of coordination and cooperation with those countries wishing to take advantage of multiple techniques and services, offered through the satellite, is also provided.
The launch of DubaiSat-1 consists of three segments; space, ground and actual launch. The ground segment comprises mission control station, image receiving and processing station, and antenna and RF subsystem.
Honoured guests,
EIAST is currently focused on research in four areas: observation and forecast of fog formation; use of satellite pictures in predicting sand storms; quality of water in the Gulf region - especially the effect of waste distillation in environment and marine life surrounding the oceans existing in the UAE; and ways to improve the clarity of satellite pictures.
EIAST plans similar projects in phases, especially with the launch of DubaiSat-2 and Sat-3, to be developed fully by UAE nationals in line with our strategy of achieving the UAE leadership’s vision of investing in national human capital and creating a platform for a knowledge-based economy.
I thank you all for coming
And we look forward to your continued support as we equip ourselves to attain a milestone for the UAE’s history in space research on the 25th of July.
