The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Dubai Municipality have signed an agreement to design and manufacture the first environmental nanometric satellite in the region.
The satellite, DM SAT1, is a project of the Dubai Future Accelerators program and is designed to collect and analyze environmental data using space technology.
DM SAT1 will provide data for monitoring sandstorms and other environment related activities, including aerosols and other factors affecting the climate as well as natural marine and wildlife reserves.
The data will then be used to find solutions to the increasing pollution in cities as well as to address climate change.
Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, also president of the MBRSC, said: “Investing in the future is not optional but rather a necessity to keep pace with those fast global changes.
“We understand the importance of speeding up the pace of our achievements to maintain our international competitiveness; therefore we launched Dubai Future Accelerators to catalyze our public and private sectors.”
He added: “Our leadership has taken a strategic outlook in the space sector, which has massive potential. All that we have achieved so far is only the first few steps in our space strategy.”
DM SAT1 is the first-of-its-kind in the region and has several unique features that represent the next generation capabilities of satellites, including coverage of large areas of land and sea, and its ability to turn around the Earth at a rate of 14 times during the same day, and same site monitoring more than once within a period of 3-5 days.
The satellite is also equipped with 2 built-in computers for data analysis and storage, in addition to a very accurate GPS system.
