Space centre opens its doors to media
We are able to receive all kinds of data from other satelliotes around the world.” Salem Humaid AlMarri,
official, MBRSC
dubai — A team of four engineers are inside a tightly secured room. They are covered in protective clothing and are working on a satellite model.
Khaleej Times team tries to go inside, but we’re asked not to enter unless we wear protective clothing that covers our full body, feet and even our mouth — all as a precaution to protect the satellite against contamination and us from any electrical discharge.
No, we are not at the NASA headquarters. In fact, we are at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in Dubai’s Al Khawaneej area. Khaleej Times was invited to have a look around their facilities, where an ambitious set of Emirati engineers work on numerous projects.
“This is the Khalifa Sat model. The real one is on it’s way to Japan. You cannot go inside because this is a clean room. We have to protect everyone and everything against any electrical discharge,” one of the engineers said.
The MBRSC is the entity behind UAE’s space-related projects, including the Dubai Sat-1 and 2 satellites that are currently in space, the Khalifa Sat, the Nano Satellite Outreach Programme, DM Sat-2 and the UAE Astronaut Programme. It is also responsible for the Emirates Mars Mission and the Mars 2117 programme, which aims to create an entire city on Mars by the year 2117.
To prepare for this goal, MBRSC will be building the Mars Science City right opposite from the centre. It will include a simulated environment of the Martian atmosphere.
Despite having a lengthy list of projects, the team at MBRSC are running a smooth operation.
“This is the ground station for Dubai Sat-1 and 2,” Salem Humaid AlMarri, the assistant director-general for the science and technology sector at MBRSC, said, while pointing to a massive satellite placed right outside of the facility. “We also incorporate with other satellites around the world. So, we are able to receive all kinds of data.”
To give us a better picture of how the ground satellites work, we are taken to the control room. Giant screens cover the walls of the control room, with a group of engineers that are analyzing complex data at their desks. It’s this room where satellite images of the UAE are received and downloaded.
Al Marri said that they provide free images to the UAE government for the sake of knowledge. They also give satellite images of countries where natural disasters have struck.
It takes the team less than a minute to download the image from the satellite, according to Al Marri. They are also able to compare old satellite images of Dubai to new ones and analyse how the city is growing.
After witnessing the work at MBRSC, it’s clear that the country’s dream of further space exploration and colonisation of Mars is not a far-fetched idea or wishful thinking. It’s an ambitious goal that the team is gradually turning into reality.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com