Dubai-Sat 1 planned

[BGonaSTICK]

In a surprise announcement in Dubai on September 12, it was revealed that Dubai is planning to launch its own satellite.

Despite excess capacity on ArabSat, and a new satellite coming on line every year over the next four years, it seems Dubai needs its own “bird”. DubaiSat is under construction according to the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science & Technology, which promised release of further information soon detailing the planned launch of the satellite under the auspices of Russia’s Kosmotras Space Company. It is also possible that the craft will focus on non-broadcasting areas (weather, mapping, space research, and possibly military aspects).

Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, Head of EIAST, and Anatoly Perminov, Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation (ROSCOSMOS), have signed the memorandum of understanding in Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the first visit to the UAE by the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Al Mansoori said: “This MoU constitutes an important step in the run up to the launch of DubaiSat-1 whose construction is in process. Kosmotras' track record is impressive. The company has successfully and accurately positioned similar types of satellites in their orbits using state-of-the-art technologies.” Al Mansoori added that factors of long history of the Russian space industry, launch window and unique launch techniques were instrumental in choosing Kosmotras for the launch of DubaiSat-1.

Source: RapidTV