UAE’s ‘pseudo satellite’ drone has successful test flight

The unmanned aircraft can reach altitudes of 65,000 feet and could also be used to boost internet connections in remote areas of the country.

The High Altitude Pseudo Satellite drone is able to fly at 65,000 feet above the ground and remain airborne for two weeks without having to land. It uses electricity generated by solar panels across iShow more

DUBAI // An unmanned aircraft that will act as a “pseudo satellite” could soon appear in the skies over the UAE.

The first test flight of the aerial drone carrying a high-resolution camera was carried out successfully this month by the Emirates Institute for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST).

It is thought that the drones, which fly in the earth’s stratosphere high above commercial aircraft, could be used as cheaper, more easily customisable satellites, or even used to boost internet connections in remote parts of the country.

“It’s similar to a satellite,” said Salem Humaid Al Marri, the assistant director general for scientific and technical affairs at EIAST.

“But you can bring it down, change the payload and put it back up again. It’s very flexible, in ways that a satellite is not.”

The drone, which is known as a High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (Haps), is a lightweight, unmanned aircraft that weighs not more than 34 kilograms.

It has a wingspan of 18 metres and is able to fly at an altitude of 65,000 feet, although it flew at 61,500 feet during a test flight.

The propeller-powered drone uses electricity generated from high-tech solar panels across its wings, and it can remain airborne for about two weeks without having to land.

An early prototype, named Zephyr 6, was launched from Margham, Dubai, on September 11. It stayed airborne for 24 hours.

Mr Al Marri said the flight was mainly about testing the ability of the drone to withstand the environment in Dubai. “We sent it up there for 24 hours and proved it could work,” he said. “It was in harsh conditions, very hot, dusty and windy, and it still functioned well.”

The aircraft is still in its nascent stage of development and is the product of European aerospace company Airbus Defence and Space.

A local model of the still-experimental drone will be designed and built under partnership at EIAST’s purpose-built satellite manufacturing base in Al Khawaneej.

The first working model is expected to fly in late 2016, although several prototypes will probably make test flights before then.

Mr Al Marri said he hoped the UAE would have at least five of the drones eventually, which would not only fulfil an imaging role but would also serve as stationary communications satellites, boosting internet and telecommunications access in remote areas of the country.

“I’d say we’re 10 years away from that,” he said.

“But we’re investing in these technologies now, so we can provide such services in the future.”

EIAST has been involved in developing satellites since 2006. Its second satellite, DubaiSat-2, was launched last year. A third satellite, Khalifa Sat, will be launched in 2017.

EIAST has sent about 20 UAE engineers to South Korea to learn satellite technology from satellite manufacturer Satrec.

Those engineers will be solely responsible for building the final flight model of Khalifa Sat in the UAE, making it the country’s first locally made satellite.

Although the Haps drones cost a fraction of a full orbiting satellite – a final cost has yet to be revealed – and provide similar domestic services, they are not meant to replace EIAST’s satellite programme.

“It is a complementary programme, not something to replace our current satellites,” said Sarah Yousef Amiri, a programme manager at EIAST.

“These aircraft act as temporary, cheap satellites that are flexible in terms of what payload you decide to carry. But they cannot take the place of a real satellite.”

Air-traffic congestion is one of the biggest challenges that EIAST expects to face.

“It flew right next to one of the world’s top three busiest airports, and in the busiest airspace in the world,” said Ms Amiri.

“That was the biggest concern, but the aircraft performed really well.”