UAE SOARS INTO SPACE WITH DUBAISAT-1

By Muin Abdul Majid

DUBAI, July 31 (Bernama) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has accomplished
a historic achievement as the country's first satellite, DubaiSat-1, is now in
orbit 680km above earth.

The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) said
UAE engineers and scientists at the Dubai earth observation station were able to
stabilise DubaiSat-1 after the remote-sensing satellite completed two successful
orbits of the earth.

The team had also remotely deployed the satellite's solar panels, which will
power DubaiSat-1 for the next five years, EIAST said in a statement.

DubaiSat-1 was launched into space on Wednesday from Baikonour in Kazakhstan
under the supervision of UAE engineers and scientists, who were responsible for
more than a third of the project's implementation.

"While the moon landing was a huge leap for humanity, DubaiSat-1 is a huge
leap for the UAE's science and technology initiatives, and for our nation's
aspirations," said EIAST director-general Ahmed Al Mansoori.

EIAST said the earth observation team was now working on DubaiSat-1's
calibration and data transfer processes to make the satellite fully operational.

Images from DubaiSat-1 can be used for a variety of applications from urban
development, scientific research, telecommunications and transportation to civil
engineering and construction as well as mapping.

-- BERNAMA