First Emirati-built satellite marks one year in space


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The first entirely Emirati-made satellite was praised for its "outstanding performance" on Tuesday – exactly one year since it went into space.

KhalifaSat was launched into the skies on board a rocket from an island off the southern tip of Japan on October 29 last year.

It was heralded as an "unprecedented Emirati achievement' by UAE leaders at the time – and senior members of the country's space programme have been encouraged by its results in the past 12 months.

KhalifaSat was designed and built at the Space Technology Laboratories of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai.

Its role is to beam high-quality images to a ground station in the emirate.

The pictures will help governments and private companies across the globe tackle a range of challenges, from climate change and disaster relief to urban planning.

KhalifaSat has taken 7,250 high-quality images and completed 5,431 low Earth orbits since its momentous launch date.

During a busy year, the satellite has communicated with its ground station 906 times to send 355 terabytes of information and images.

"Today [October 29] marks one year since the launch of KhalifaSat, the first satellite developed 100 per cent in the UAE by a team of highly qualified Emirati engineers," said Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.

"After the outstanding performance, images and analysis it has provided, we celebrate the culmination of one of the UAE’s major achievements. This success proves that our youth can enjoy more achievements, reflecting the aspirations of our wise leadership."

Amer Al Ghafri, director of the space systems development department and KhalifaSat project manager, was impressed by the satellite's progress.

An aerial image of Palm Jumeirah, taken from space by KhalifaSat. Courtesy Dubai Media Office
An aerial image of Palm Jumeirah, taken from space by KhalifaSat. Courtesy Dubai Media Office

"One year after its launch, KhalifaSat is performing very well. It is still ahead of other satellites in the region, in monitoring and analysis. KhalifaSat will be able to capture more images in the next few years," he said.

In its 365 days orbiting the Earth, KhalifaSat captured images of Palm Jumeirah, Al Maktoum Stadium, Kingdom Centre, Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque), the Federal Territory Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the Baikonur Cosmodrome, from where the first Emirati astronaut, Maj Hazza Al Mansouri, travelled to space.

The satellite also beamed back images of major projects and achievements in the UAE and its construction work, including at Abu Dhabi International Airport and the surrounding area, in addition to the construction developments around Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site

The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)

Date started: August 2021

Founder: Nour Sabri

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace

Size: Two employees

Funding stage: Seed investment

Initial investment: $200,000

Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East) 

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The specs

Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder

Transmission: 7-speed auto

0-100kmh 2.3 seconds

0-200kmh 5.5 seconds

0-300kmh 11.6 seconds

Power: 1500hp

Torque: 1600Nm

Price: Dh13,400,000

On sale: now

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

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It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler

Price, base / as tested Dh57,000

Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine

Transmission Six-speed gearbox

Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm

Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

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The biog

First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work

While you're here
'Nope'
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