DUBAI 31 August 2018: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced that 29 October 2018 is the official date of the launch of KhalifaSat, the first satellite to be developed 100% by Emirati engineers in the UAE.
It will be placed into orbit aboard the liquid-fuelled H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan, in partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).
Aside from KhalifaSat, the UAE has two imaging satellites already in orbit: DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2.
KhalifaSat is an iconic Emirati-engineered Earth observation satellite. The implementation phase began following the announcement of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on the launch of the KhalifaSat project in December 2013.
The sophisticated space machine was designed, tested, built and managed by Emirati engineers at the MBRSC’s Advanced Technology Laboratories, making it the first satellite to be developed in the MBRSC’s clean rooms.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and the General Supervisor of its projects and plans, said the launch of KhalifaSat is an important step towards achieving the UAE’s space strategy.
“We are proud of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, where a team made up entirely of young Emirati engineers have developed the first Emirati satellite, KhalifaSat,” the Crown Prince said. “This is an important milestone for our country, an achievement made possible because our leadership supports Emirati youth and encourages them to excel in the fields of innovation and technological development,” He added.
