UAE students’ miniature satellite reaches orbit

A UAE-built miniature satellite equipped with efficient high-resolution imaging equipment and an advanced manoeuvring system has reached its target orbit.

Students at Khalifa University built the cube satellite, called DhabiSat, which was taken to the International Space Station by a Cygnus resupply craft on February 20.

Cygnus, which travelled by Antares carrier rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility about 161 kilometres north of Norfolk in Virginia, left the station on June 29, releasing DhabiSat and four other small satellites into their final orbit.

“With the deployment of DhabiSat, our students and our partners have once again registered another milestone for Khalifa University and the UAE,” said Dr Arif Al Hammadi, the university’s executive vice-president.

“We thank our partners Yahsat and Northrop Grumman, who have supported our students throughout the process of designing, developing and launching DhabiSat, the third cubesat built by Khalifa University students, as well as another cubesat we are planning to build in the future.”

DhabiSat, formerly known as MYSat-2, was created to help students design, build and test software for attitude determination and control systems, which enable satellites to point accurately at given locations.

DhabiSat was also designed to use less power in using its digital camera. If successful, the algorithms used in the mission will help in developing more advanced cubesats.

Muna Almheiri, Yahsat’s chief human capital officer, said: “Successful deployment underscores the aptitude, skills and maturity of our youth to manage multi-pronged programmes and work with the leading lights in the global space industry.”

KhalifaSat launched its first project, an Earth observation satellite called MYSat-1, built entirely by its students, into space in 2018.

An increasing number of universities in the UAE have introduced the development of cubesats into their educational programmes.

Last year, the MeznSat satellite, which can measure greenhouse gases over the UAE, was sent into space.

Built by students at Khalifa University and the American University of Ras Al Khaimah, it was funded by the UAE Space Agency.

Students use the Yahsat Space Lab at Khalifa University to build these small satellites.

Our students and partners have once again registered another milestone for Khalifa University and the UAE DR ARIF AL HAMMADI

Khalifa University