The Sharjah Sat 1 satellite blasted off to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah followed, at the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology of the University of Sharjah, through a live broadcast, the launch of “Sharjah Sat 1” satellite, on the Falcon 9 rocket.
According to a report by WAM, the Deputy Ruler of Sharjah congratulated Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the UAE leadership on the successful launch of “Sharjah Sat 1” satellite, stressing that the UAE has taken successful and steady steps towards space exploration through various missions and is supported today by “Sharjah Sat 1”, and indicating that the university continues to work hard to establish scientific and research projects that serve humanity and enable university students and researchers to develop their skills and benefit from these projects.
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed said: “We start our year by reaching space, and we commend the efforts of the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Science and Technology, and we are proud of the Emirati cadres of engineers and researchers, who worked on the completion of ‘Sharjah Sat 1’. Today, we see its successful launch into space to perform the expected scientific tasks, after reaching the specified orbit, 550 km from sea level.”
Dr Hamid MK Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah and Director-General of the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Science and Technology, thanked Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed and Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed for the great support to the academy and scientific studies in the field of space, through the establishment of special facilities for these studies such as laboratories, ground stations and the latest simulation programmes that contributed to the launch of “Sharjah Sat 1”.
He indicated that “Sharjah Sat 1” comes within a series of many satellites, and each satellite performs different tasks and goals, adding that designing these space missions and launching them, through preparing various workshops and practical applications, is in line with the UAE’s directions to build a generation capable of facing the challenges of technological development in the space industries.
After the successful launch of “Sharjah Sat 1”, the Deputy Ruler of Sharjah shook hands with the academy’s engineers who contributed to this achievement, congratulating them on the project and wishing them success in the upcoming projects.
The estimated lifetime of the satellite is three years, subject to increase, according to the effect of solar radiation on the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere due to its proximity to the low Earth orbit (550 km), around which “Sharjah Sat 1” revolves.
It is equipped with sensors, camera and communication devices and will boost the University of Sharjah’s capacity to handle larger projects.
The launch was attended by the Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, a number of members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Sharjah, top officials from the university, a number of members of the teaching and administrative staff, and a group of specialists, researchers and students of the academy.
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