UAE’s ‘DhabiSat’ takes off to International Space Station

  • Date: 21-Feb-2021
  • Source: Gulf Business
  • Sector:Technology
  • Country:UAE
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UAE’s ‘DhabiSat’ takes off to International Space Station

DhabiSat', the second CubeSat designed and developed by students of Abu Dhabi's Khalifa University of Science and Technology with support from partners, lifted off to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Wallops flight facility in Virginia, US.

The Cubesat was aboard the Cygnus NG-15 spacecraft on the Antares rocket, and will be deployed from the resupply spacecraft Cygnus NG-15, following its departure from the ISS in approximately three months.

Developed by 27 graduate students at Yahsat Space Lab, which is part of the Khalifa University Space Technology and Innovation Center (KUSTIC), the project is helping train individuals to become qualified engineers to support the space sector in the UAE. Once deployed, DhabiSat will enable students to test custom software modules, developed in-house by the students, for the Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem (ADCS).

The high resolution camera on DhabiSat can capture images at 12.6 meters per pixel spatial resolution on ground, from an altitude of 450km, official news agency WAM reported.

Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, executive vice-president, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: "The launch of DhabiSat is another remarkable achievement for the UAE, Khalifa University and the partners, marking a major milestone for the UAE's space sector that will