An artist's rendition of the UAE's DMSat-1 nanosatellite. It will be launched into space on Saturday on-board a Russian rocket. Courtesy: Dubai Municipality
An artist's rendition of the UAE's DMSat-1 nanosatellite. It will be launched into space on Saturday on-board a Russian rocket. Courtesy: Dubai Municipality
An artist's rendition of the UAE's DMSat-1 nanosatellite. It will be launched into space on Saturday on-board a Russian rocket. Courtesy: Dubai Municipality
An artist's rendition of the UAE's DMSat-1 nanosatellite. It will be launched into space on Saturday on-board a Russian rocket. Courtesy: Dubai Municipality

New launch date for UAE environment satellite on Russian rocket set for Sunday


Ramola Talwar Badam
  • English
  • Arabic

The launch of a miniature UAE satellite that will track harmful emissions, monitor the environment and measure air quality has been postponed until Sunday morning.

It will now take off at 10.07am UAE time on March 21.

Its departure was put back a day after a voltage surge was detected in the Russian carrier rocket, said AFP news agency.

Data from the DMSat-1 satellite will be used to build a space database to combat climate change.

A Soyuz 2.1a rocket will carry the satellite when it launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in southern Kazakhstan.

The rocket will carry the 15-kilogram nanosatellite into low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 550 kilometres, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre said.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s space agency chief, told RIA Novosti state news agency that they “decided not to take a risk” after a surge in voltage was pinpointed.

Dubai Municipality and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre signed an agreement in 2016 to develop the nanosat.

"The satellite will have scientific instruments on board that will detect air pollution, monitor greenhouse gases – mainly methane, carbon dioxide – and the concentration of water in the air," said Adnan Al Rais, senior director of the remote sensing department and DMSat-1 programme director at MBRSC, in a video released on Twitter.

The satellite is among small payloads from 18 countries, including Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, that will be delivered into space by the rocket.

The main payload is South Korea’s CAS500-1 spacecraft.

On reaching orbit, DMSat-1 will provide data that will add to the development of a map of air quality in the UAE.

Mr Al Rais said the satellite will carry a polarimeter to check air pollution and spectrometers to identify harmful emissions.

Teams on the ground at MBRSC will receive signals, analyse data and conduct safety checks on the satellite.

"The team will look for advanced solutions and analysis tools using AI and deep-learning techniques to receive the data, process the data and generate the value-added products that we will be providing to Dubai Municipality," Mr Al Rais said.

“Data will be used to build a space database that will be utilised for environment studies research and sustainable urban planning,” said Alia Al Harmoudi, director of Dubai Municipality’s environment department.

“The data will also be used for systematic futuristic planning to ensure a better future for the coming generation.

"It will also strengthen the leading role of the UAE globally in the space sector, environment protection, combating climate change," she said.

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Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team

Several girls started playing football at age four

They describe sport as their passion

The girls don’t dwell on their condition

They just say they may need to work a little harder than others

When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters

The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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THREE
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War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

Teachers' pay - what you need to know

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues