Tech Talk: Here is all you need to know about Bahrain’s nanosatellite Light-1 – Gulf Digital News

Tech Talk: Here is all you need to know about Bahrain’s nanosatellite Light-1 – Gulf Digital News

BAHRAIN launched its first-ever satellite yesterday, making history, and advancing the kingdom’s fledgling space science sector.

The nanosatellite Light-1 was launched aboard the SpaceX Falcon-9 CRS-24 at 1.07pm Bahrain time, from the Nasa Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US and will dock at the International Space Station (ISS) today around 12.30pm Bahrain time. It was put together by a 40-person team, of whom nine were Bahraini.

The Light-1 satellite – a joint project between Bahrain’s National Space Science Agency (NSSA), UAE Space Agency, Khalifa University and New York University Abu Dhabi – will be used to conduct research during lightning storms, that will help civil aviation safety experts in future.

“This joint project started with an idea in 2018 and became a reality that carried Light-1 into space,” NSSA chairman and Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal Ahmed said.

“Our joint nanosatellite will support global efforts to measure terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGRs) and advance our understanding of how they affect human health and aviation.

“The project is a model for scientific and technological co-operation, one that serves humanity by peacefully leveraging space for the good of humankind.”

Alongside the nanosatellite aboard the Dragon-9 capsule are Christmas gifts and dinners for ISS astronauts as