Nearly 25 years ago, two professors in California conceived the idea of a cube-shaped satellite just 10 centimetres tall and wide, and weighing less than 10 kilograms, that could be built and launched into space at a much lower cost than anything else available on the market. Their initial goal was to make satellite design and construction easier for their graduate students. Today, the CubeSat format is the global standard for so-called nanosatellites, more than a thousand of which now orbit the Earth.
But more than six decades on from the launch of Sputnik, the world’s first satellite, the risk of failure associated with sending anything into space – however “nano” – remains rather large. Executives at Virgin Orbit, a space company, were reminded as much on Monday, when their system reported an “anomaly” during a launch mission from Cornwall, England, which resulted in a payload of nine nanosatellites being destroyed before reaching orbit. The company has made few details available, but emphasised that no one was injured.
It was a difficult moment for Virgin Orbit, whose shares slid 28 per cent after the news, but also for the UK, whose space agency was financing what was meant to be the first-ever satellite launch from British soil. (Technically, the launch was carried out mid-air from a modified commercial aeroplane that had taken off from British soil.)
Britain was not the only country left with dashed hopes. One of the nanosatellites aboard, a CubeSat named Aman, was set to be the first Omani satellite. Omani officials hoped that once Aman entered orbit, it would be used for environmental surveillance, taking high-resolution photos of the Earth’s surface that could be analysed later by an Omani company using machine-learning technology.
The risk of failure in launching anything into space – however 'nano' – remains rather large
While this Omani orbital mission may have been scuppered, Aman was meant to be just an initial step in a much larger programme. In October 2021, Oman signed a strategic co-operation agreement with several international partners, the scope of which includes hopes for an eventual deep-space mission and the development of an indigenous space industry. In September the country announced plans to build a space research centre, which will include a dedicated zone for carrying out otherworldly experiments and simulations.
Oman’s ambitions are part of a broader effort shared among Arab countries to make space launches and missions a regular feature of the Arab world’s economic and scientific development. After the first Arab satellite, ArabSat-1, was launched by a Saudi organisation nearly 40 years ago, efforts to develop more formidable space programmes in the region largely stalled – save for the launch of occasional communications satellites, such as the UAE’s Thuraya-1 and Egypt’s NileSat-101.
Editorials from The National
In recent years, however, the picture has changed considerably. In 2018, Jordanian students built a CubeSat that was launched by the American company SpaceX. The same year, the UAE launched its first locally built satellite (Thuraya-1 was built in the US). And in 2020, the Emirates successfully launched the Hope Probe, the Arab world’s first-ever Mars mission, while in 2021, Bahrain and Kuwait sent up their own satellites.
Aman’s ill-fated launch is disappointing, but such moments of misfortune are only to be expected in an industry in which so much momentum is clearly building. Ian Annett, deputy chief executive of the UK Space Agency, captured the sentiment best on Tuesday morning, when he reminded reporters: “This happens in the space industry…and we go back and go again and that’s what defines us.”
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
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Company%20profile
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Other key dates
-
Finals draw: December 2
-
Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
-
Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
