Monday, Apr 17, 2017
Abu Dhabi: An advanced space laboratory inaugurated in Abu Dhabi on Monday will support the UAE’s transformation from a satellite operator to satellite manufacturer, according to a senior official.
“The UAE has been operating satellites, especially in telecommunication, for many years. The Hope probe [Mars Mission] announced by the leadership will also help develop local expertise in satellite manufacturing and this lab will support that transformation,” said Dr Saif Al Mheiri, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MI) and a manager of the newly launched Yahsat Space Laboratory.
He was speaking to Gulf News on Monday at the laboratory, which was launched by the senior officials of MI, and Al Yahsat Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), and Orbital ATK.
The lab is the result of the UAE leadership’s call to develop and advance technologies within the space sector and to make continuing strides toward the UAE’s advanced space ambitions, the officials said.
The new lab will facilitate the Masdar Institute Master’s concentration in space systems and technology with the facilities required to construct, test and launch miniature satellite CubeSats. The high-tech and specialised research facilities within the lab will support the development of intellectual capital required to advance the space and aerospace sectors. Additionally, the lab will serve as a platform for future research in space technologies, allowing the UAE Space Agency to work with the Institute and other partners on collaborative projects that facilitate the advancement of the local space sector.
Masood. M. Sharif Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer at Yahsat said the new facility was dedicated for advanced research and enabling students to develop CubeSats.
Dr Behjat Al Yousuf, Interim Provost at MI, said the inauguration of the lab is a momentous occasion for the UAE’s space ambitions.
The lab will develop CubeSats designed collaboratively by MI, Yahsat and Orbital ATK. Each CubeSat will be built with different payloads, such as cameras, sensors and scientific equipment. MYSAT-1 is the programme’s first satellite, design of which began with the first cohort of students from the space concentration in August 2015. It has been built with a camera and will test a novel lithium-ion battery designed and developed at Masdar Institute.
Sumayya Al Muhairi, a masters student at MI, said the new lab would help her ambition to contribute to the UAE’s space programmes.
The lab will facilitate industry-academic collaboration to enable knowledge transfer in pursuit of home-grown expertise in advanced technologies. Orbital ATK serves as the ‘subject matter expert’, providing testing facilities and facilitating the launch of miniature satellites developed through the programme.
The Master’s space concentration was developed to foster the advanced research areas in space science and technology needed to support the UAE national space programme and space-related industries with human resources, technical advancements and infrastructure.
By Binsal Abdul Kader Senior Reporter
Gulf News 2017. All rights reserved.
