UAE-made MBZ-SAT to launch in late 2023

Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) is developing strategic plans to launch the UAE-made MBZ-SAT in 2023.

Salem Humaid Al Marri, director-general of MBRSC, said Emirati companies are working on international projects, including the UAE-made MBZ-SAT, which will be launched by the end of 2023 as the second operational Emirati satellite.

Made by Emirati engineers, after KhalifaSat, MBZ-SAT will play a pivotal role in supporting the Emirati space sector, being the most advanced satellite in the region in the field of high-resolution satellite imagery.

He stated the centre is drafting strategic plans, in line with the visions of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, aimed at establishing a knowledge-based economy in the UAE.

In a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Marri stressed that this vision is helping advance the national space and technological innovation sectors, noting that a specialist team was sent to South Korea 17 years ago, which led to the establishment of the current Emirati space programme and the launch of locally-made satellites.