Milestones

December 2013: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai gives the green light to start the KhalifaSat project.

2013 onwards: Design phase of KhalifaSat

September 2016: Electronic manufacturing: The team worked to complete the manufacture of the flight model printed circuit boards. January 2017: Mechanical Structure Manufacturing: Work began on the manufacture of the KhalifaSat flight model mechanical structure. February: The team began to assemble the various electronic parts of the flight model printed circuit boards. April: Satellite Integration and Test: During the integration phase, all of the electronic modules were assembled on the satellite. August: Finish stand-alone payload testing: The team performed a series of demanding tests on the camera and its electronics to ensure its reliability. December: Payload integration on the satellite: The payload subsystem was integrated onto the satellite. System alignment was also done. January 2018-February:

Thermal systems assembly and acoustic, thermal and vibration testing were conducted.

June: Flight readiness review: The team gathered to review the final results of the tests performed on the Flight Model.

July: Ground station set-up: The mission control software and ground processing equipment was set up ahead of the launch date.

August: Ground station tests: The ground station equipment and software is being tested to ensure it is compatible with the KhalifaSat flight model.

August: Satellite Shipment to Launch Base: During this stage, great care will be taken in safely packing up the satellite and delivering it safely to the launch site in Japan

October: Satellite Assembly on Launch Vehicle: the satellite will be loaded onto the launch vehicle in its specified dock and assembled ahead of the launch

October 29: The lift off will commence with the rocket taking the KhalifaSat into orbit.