Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has announced that it has selected SpaceX as a launch provider to deliver its MBZ-SAT into space.
The second Emirati satellite to be fully developed and built by a team of Emirati engineers after the KhalifaSat will be launched on board SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
MBZ-SAT is scheduled for launch toward the end of 2023 or at the beginning of 2024, a statement said.
Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond.
SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonisation of Mars.
Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani (pictured below), director-general, MBRSC said: “We are continually seeking to extend and diversify our ecosystem of partners, particularly in the strategically important area of launch partners.
“We are delighted to partner with SpaceX to deliver the MBZ-SAT into space as they offer the key attributes of readiness, reliability and technological expertise for this project. The launch of MBZ-SAT is only the first step to unlock future opportunities with SpaceX, and we look forward to utilising further technology developments and space resources with them.”
Tom Ochinero, SpaceX vice president of commercial sales, said: “We’re honoured to support this mission, and we look forward to the successful launch of MBZ-SAT and many future projects.”
The satellite aims to improve image capture resolution by more than double what is capable in the previously launched satellites. It will also increase the downlink data transmission speed by three times the current capacity.
MBRSC, founded in 2006, is home to the UAE National Space Program.
It has launched the DubaiSat-1, DubaiSat-2 and the KhalifaSat and also launched the Emirates Mars Mission Hope Probe, which became the first Arab interplanetary mission to reach the Martian orbit in February.
Recently, the centre announced the launch of the Emirates Lunar Mission, the first Emirati and Arab mission to explore the Moon and plans to develop MBZ-SAT.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Technology Express staff and is published from a syndicated feed)
