Dubai’s MBRSC successfully launches PHI-Demo satellite

Dubai’s MBRSC successfully launches PHI-Demo satellite

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) successfully launched on Tuesday the first mission of the Payload Hosting Initiative (PHI), PHI-Demo satellite, marking a significant milestone in the UAE's history of space exploration and innovation. The PHI-Demo satellite onboard the Soyuz-2 rocket lifted off from Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome at 3.34pm UAE time. The pioneering project, the first of its kind in the Arab world, has all its mechanical components constructed in the UAE in collaboration with the private sector. The satellite will be positioned at an altitude of about 550km, and operated from MBRSC and the labs of partner universities American University RAK and Khalifa University. Development of PHI-Demo MBRSC has crafted the 'platform', the shell of the PHI-Demo satellite that hosts the payloads, with a 100% Emirati team. The Emirati-crafted project, a product of local innovation and skill, serves as the backbone of the pioneering PHI initiative. Jointly led by MBRSC and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the project heralds a new era of international cooperation in space exploration, facilitating the sustainable advancement of innovative space technologies. Reflecting on the achievement, H.E. Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director General, MBRSC, stated, "The successful launch of the PHI-Demo,