VIDEO: UAE’s DMSat-1 launch further postponed

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has announced in a tweet that the launch of DMSat-1 has been further postponed to March 22.

The authority said more details will be announced shortly.

Earlier, the Russian space agency Roscosmos has announced that the launch of DMSat-1 has been postponed until Sunday, due to a surge in voltage.

The Dubai Municipality and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) were all set to launch DMSat-1 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10.07am on Saturday. It will instead now be launched tomorrow (Monday).

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Moreover, Russia has postponed the launch of its Soyuz-2.1a rocket to Sunday, state news agency RIA quoted Roscosmos space agency Director General Dmitry Rogozin as saying on Saturday.

Rogozin said the decision to postpone from Saturday was made after a voltage spike ahead of the planned launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, RIA reported.

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket, which is expected to deliver 38 satellites that are mostly made outside Russia into open space, is now set to be launched at 0607 GMT on Sunday, RIA said.

Using state-of-the-art space technologies, DMSat-1 will monitor, collect and analyse environmental data as well as measure air pollutants and greenhouse gases. The environmental satellite will also help create maps of the concentration and distribution of greenhouse gases in Dubai and the UAE, and study seasonal changes in the presence of these gases.

The project comes within the framework of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to maximise the benefit from the advanced applications of the space industry in various fields, and build on the distinguished global position that Dubai and the UAE have reached in this regard.

The engineers who worked on DMSat-1.

The project team includes 30 Emirati engineers, whose role is to determine the needs of the Dubai Municipality and the technical characteristics of the satellite, as it has conducted numerous studies to determine the type, size and features of the devices on board.

Dawoud AlHajri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, said that essential data provided by the DMSat-1 satellite will enable Dubai Municipality to respond to global environmental changes, identify steps to combat climate change and develop long-term environmental plans.

It will also help both sides' environmental studies deliver tangible results by promoting academic research, boosting ecological monitoring and contributing to upcoming technological ventures.

Experts work on DMSat-1.

Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, Director-General of MBRSC, said, "The emergence of new capabilities and competencies is helping the country expand its expertise in using space technology to provide solutions, develop different sectors and harness new horizons in this field. Local institutions are increasingly interested in the space sector and in utilising advanced scientific methods to meet challenges. The launch of the DMSat-1 satellite supports the UAE’s aspirations in this field."

The launch of the satellite strengthens the UAE’s implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, which requires the country to generate data on greenhouse gas emissions and build national capacities to study global warming.