EIAST delegates briefed the symposium on the ongoing preparations for the launch of DubaiSat-2, the second satellite mission under EIAST’s Space Programme.
The symposium held during 4-8 April 2011 was organised by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) with the support of German Aerospace Centre (DLR) to promote exchange of information, explore new concepts, encourage international cooperation in mission planning, and develop collaborative relationships among individuals and institutions.
Engineers Suhail Al Dhafri and Mohammed Wali who represented EIAST at the symposium gave a round-up of the Space Programme and its achievements in transferring critical satellite technology to the UAE to complement ongoing development.
“While improving our capabilities in protecting our resources and planning sustainable development, DubaiSat-1 has brought the UAE into a league of countries with advanced knowledge of satellite imaging. EIAST is keen on our engineers leading our programmes and initiatives as it is critical to achieving the knowledge transfer and culture of innovation which we seek to promote,” said Mr Ahmed Al Mansoori, Director General, EIAST.
“The 8th IAA symposium gave us an opportunity to present the capabilities of Dubaisat-1 and its optical payload performance to the Small Satellite community worldwide. We were also able to convey the benefits of our determination and continued success in space activity for the UAE and beyond,” commented Suhail Al Dhafri.
Mohammed Wali added: “The responsibility of building awareness on our satellite activity at such high profile forum like the IAA Symposium was indeed a great opportunity and honor. We are happy that we were able to detail our progress on DubaiSat-2 at the gathering.”
DubaiSat-1 images play a vital role in infrastructure development in the UAE by providing spatial information essential to decision-making on urban and rural planning, transport, utilities, mapping, and environmental conservation. Its relatively high spatial resolution complements existing Geographic Information System (GIS) databases and enables more efficient monitoring and prediction of natural hazards such as sandstorms, land degradation, desertification and droughts.
Following the success of DubaiSat-1 EIAST is currently preparing to launch DubaiSat-2 and preparations have now reached the Critical Design Review (CDR) stage after completing preliminary design reviews. The second mission will be a totally new design developed by EIAST and Satrec Initiative of South Korea and it will produce higher and better quality image data.