UAE’s first Emirati-made satellite marks the beginning of a long journey into space

Demand for high-resolution images of the Earth is high but supply is not, making KhalifaSat’s entry into the Earth Observation (EO) market important in meeting this critical global demand.

The UAE’s first 100 per cent Emirati-made satellite, the KhalifaSat, will be launched at 8.08am tomorrow from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the JAXA Tanegashima Space Centre, in southern Japan.

The launch is a proud moment for a country so young, and its young and dynamic engineers whose passion goes beyond the skies.

The KhalifaSat is designed to capture high-resolution images with a spatial resolution of 70cm, meaning each pixel represents 70cm of the ground being captured.

Once in orbit, the KhalifaSat will be the most superior satellite in terms of imaging in the PanGeo Alliance fleet. The next satellite expected to outperform KhalifaSat in the fleet will not be launched until 2021 — Canada’s OptiSAROPT with 50cm resolution.

The PanGeo Alliance is an organisation of seven EO satellite operators, including the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the UAE. It currently supplies daily global imaging capability with its 13 operational satellites.

“Demand for earth images is very high but the supply is not. This is where KhalifaSat comes in,” Amer Al Sayegh, KhalifaSat project manager at MBRSC, told Gulf News.

“For example, a country wants an image of its whole territory. One satellite cannot do it alone, so KhalifaSat comes in with other satellites from the Pan-Geo Alliance. MBRSC is allied with different companies globally to provide such comprehensive solutions to different customers all over the world,” he added. In terms of science and technology, KhalifaSat is not a typical one, Al Sayegh said.

“The image quality we’re expecting from the KhalifaSat are the ones you usually see from much bigger satellites. We reduced the size of the satellite, reduced the weight, compressed it into a much smaller scale but did not compromise on its imaging capability,” Al Sayegh said.

Big market for Earth’s images

The current biggest market for MBRSC’s Earth images is the UAE government, particularly Dubai Municipality and other environmental organisations, where images are provided for free, Ammar Al Muhairi, manager of the Image Processing Section at MBRSC, said.

Within the Gulf region, Kuwait and Bahrain are big clients, too, although the images are given to them for free.

But the commercial demand for these images is also present locally and internationally from countries such as Spain, among others, Al Muhairi said.

The commercial EO data market is projected to further grow and could reach $2.4 billion (Dh8.8 billion) in 2027 globally, due to demand from a mixture of defence and new commercial markets and supported by the arrival of new constellation operators, based on the 11th edition of the Satellite-Based Earth Observation: Market Prospects to 2027.

It is estimated that the total global space economy today is over $350 billion, out of which 76 per cent is business revenues. The UAE’s entry into the space arena aims to tap into this sector with an investment of more than Dh22 billion in space projects. Hence, the KhalifaSat’s launch is just the beginning of the country’s long journey into space, a vision extending beyond a century.

“This is a unique mission. We started this vision with the higher leadership in the UAE 12 years ago. It’s a shift in the way we look at science and technology in the UAE. KhalifaSat represents a catalyst project in having a space industry in the UAE that will build an ecosystem around us,” Al Sayegh said.

The image quality we’re expecting from the KhalifaSat are the ones you usually see from much bigger satellites. We reduced the size of the satellite ... but but did not compromise on its imaging capability.”

Amer Al Sayegh |

KhalifaSat Project Manager, MBRSC

I loved how the team worked as one to solve the issue within hours. I also discovered strong points within myself as an engineer solving problems. This is something I will never forget.”

Reem Rashid Al Mehsini | Nuclear

Engineer

If you put your heart and soul into something, you can achieve it, maybe not today, not tomorrow, but eventually you’re going to achieve it. Now, we’re ready for the next project.”

Abdullah Al Shehi | Senior Mechanical Engineer