Disaster relief from space: How UAE's first radar imaging satellites could help in crises

Whether capturing floods, fires or aftermath of earthquakes, the satellites can 'see' through any kind of weather or debris

A SpaceX rocket carried the first SAR satellite developed by YahSat and Bayanat as part of their planned constellation. Photo: Wam

Two companies in the UAE are developing a swarm of radar satellites to send high-resolution images of disaster zones from space to boost critical relief efforts on Earth.

The Foresight constellation is a joint effort by Bayanat, a company responsible for processing satellite data, and satellite services company Yahsat, and will offer assistance to teams on the ground amid floods, earthquakes and other extreme events and crises.

It will deliver detailed images from orbit, regardless of weather conditions, day or night, and can “see” through clouds, smoke and debris to provide real-time data.

One of the planned seven synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket last month, with the remaining to be placed in orbit over the next three years.

Such sophisticated imagery can help emergency workers to better understand the scale of incidents and pinpoint where help is needed most.

It highlights the value of the two companies working in tandem to harness technology as they plan to merge to establish a $4.1 billion AI-powered space technology business called Space42.

Helping to weather the storm

Hasan Al Hosani, Bayanat's managing director, told The National that the satellites would have helped assess the damage caused by the heavy rain in the UAE this year, which triggered flash flooding in the main cities, inundated roads and disrupted transport and people's daily lives.

“While we are waiting to get the satellites up in the orbit, we’ve actually been researching, developing and playing with SAR quite some time,” he said.

“We launched a platform called ‘AI for disaster management’ at Cop28, which utilises synthetic aperture radar data along with other means of remote sensing data.

“And, in partnership with the UAE Space Agency, we've done a case study on the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria… and on the heavy rainstorm that we’ve had earlier this year, as well as on the flood in Fujairah a couple of years ago.”

Hasan Al Hosani, managing director of Banayat at Dubai Airshow. Leslie Pableo for The National

To build these case studies, Bayanat had to rely on observations made by spacecraft owned by other organisations.

But, once the Foresight constellation becomes active, it would have access to its own data, with satellites that will take detailed images of the location being studied.

Bayanat and Yahsat are working with European company ICEYE to develop the satellites, which are expected to also help with other sectors, such as urban planning and environmental monitoring.

“We're working closely with the Environmental Agency of Abu Dhabi on both the agri-tech (agriculture technology) perspective and also on preservatories, so we can monitor, for example, the migration of birds,” said Mr Al Hosani.

“There are different applications that the SAR data can be utilised for, for example, we can also monitor oil spills if it happens.”

Natural disasters captured from space - in pictures

1. An enormous plume of ash rises from the Cleveland Volcano on May 23, 2006. The image was captured from the International Space Station by astronaut Jeff Williams. The ash cloud rose as high as 6,000 metres above sea level. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

2. The Raikoke Volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula erupts on June 22, 2019. The last time it exploded was in 1924. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

3. Another image of the Raikoke eruption was captured on the same morning by the Suomi NPP satellite. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

4. One of the deadliest earthquakes struck Haiti in 2010. This GeoEye-1 satellite image shows rubble on the streets of Port-au-Prince on January 13. About 250,000 people were killed in the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

5. A huge sandstorm rolls across the Sahara Desert on August 1, 2018. Astronaut Ricky Arnold captured this image from the ISS. Photo: Ricky Arnold Twitter

6. Satellite images show an active volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma on September 26, 2021. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

7. The La Palma volcanic eruption has destroyed hundreds of homes. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

8. Astronauts on the space station captured images of auroras australis, or southern lights, while flying over the Indian Ocean. Light created by the wildfires in Australia can also be seen. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

9. This Terra satellite image shows how green (represented in red in this photo) the island of Leyte was before the deadly super typhoon Haiyan hit Philippines in 2013. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

10. Much of the vegetation and properties on the island was destroyed after the typhoon struck with winds of near 315 kilometres per hour. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

11. A view of super typhoon Haiyan from space taken by Nasa’s Aqua satellite. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

12. The European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite captured an image of the fires in southern California on December 5, 2017. This photo shows the largest of the blazes in Ventura County, which destroyed more than 65,000 acres. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

13. The highest volcano in the Galapagos Islands erupted for the first time in 33 years in 2015. An image captured by the Terra satellite shows volcanic ash and gases about 15 km high. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

14. An image of the Hurricane Dorian taken by US astronaut Christina Koch in 2019. The natural disaster struck the Bahamas and killed more than 70 people. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

15. Astronaut Christina Koch shared an image of smoke pluming over the Australian continent. The 2019-2020 bushfires destroyed thousands of homes and killed more than 30 people. Photo: Christina Koch Twitter

16. Satellite images show a dust storm sweeping over the Middle East in 2015. The storm hit Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus and Palestine, causing many cancelled flights and the closure of seaports. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

17. A shield volcano erupts on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula on March 22, 2021. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

18. Astronaut Luca Parmitano shared an image of the wildfires in Australia on January 13, 2020. Photo: European Space Agency

19. A 2007 view of Japan’s Tohoku region before one of the world’s deadliest earthquake destroyed most of the area in 2011. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

20. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis killed nearly 230,000 people. A satellite image shows the Indonesian town of Lhoknga destroyed by the natural disaster on December 26. All properties were destroyed, except for a white mosque that is visible in the image. Photo: Nasa

21. The tsunamis, caused by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, also struck Sri Lanka. Photo: Nasa

22. A satellite image taken after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Tohoku region in Japan, with tsunami waves destroying most of the coastal area. About five to 10 metre waves flooded into the town. The photo shows flooding, a destroyed seawall and debris. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

23. The Raikoke Volcano eruption seen from space on June 22, 2019. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

24. A Suomi NPP satellite image shows smoke over Russia, as wildfires burned across 11 regions of the country in July 2019. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

25. Satellite image of forest fires in Northern California captured in August 2008. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

26. The Fagradalsfjall volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted on May 9, 2021. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

27. The 2011 tsunami in Japan was so intense, it caused calving of large icebergs from the Sulzberger Ice Shelf on the Antarctic coast, as shown in this image captured by European Space Agency’s Envisat satellite. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

28. Satellite image shows a powerful tornado (brown horizontal line in the middle of image) sweeping across Massachusetts on June 2011. It wreaked havoc for 63 kilometres, killing three people and destroying property. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

29. A satellite image of the Hurricane Katrina over the US in 2005. It struck the state of Louisiana, killing 1,833 people and destroying thousands of homes. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

30. The Caldor fire reached Lake Tahoe on the California and Nevada border on September 15, 2021, as seen in this Landsat 8 satellite image. The fire had been burning for 10 weeks. Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory

The companies are also planning to build a dedicated centre, where future Foresight satellites would be assembled, integrated and tested, called an AIT facility.

Anna Hazlett, founder of AzurX, a UAE-based private advisory firm specialising in the space sector, told The National that the project was a welcome boost to the local space sector, which is currently valued at Dh40 billion.

“In terms of the UAE space sector, Bayanat’s Foresight SAR satellites represent a landmark,” she said.

“Not only are they the country’s first SAR capability, they will also boost the local space sector through the construction of a new satellite AIT facility in the UAE.

“This alone will have a positive secondary impact on the local space economy for engineering work and other services such as legal, insurance and financing.”

The UAE has been investing heavily in Earth observation capabilities, with the local market size currently estimated at $980 million and is expected reach $1.49 billion by 2029, according to market research company Mordor Intelligence.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), based in Dubai, has developed and launched five Earth observation satellites since 2009, ranging from nanosatellites (miniature satellites) to small-sized ones.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, said MBZ-Sat represents 'turning our ambitions into reality'. Dubai Media Office

It will soon launch MBZ-Sat, its sixth Earth observation satellite that is meant to be the organisation's most advanced one yet.

Due to launch in October aboard a SpaceX rocket, it can also monitor climate change, urban development and disaster response.

Adnan Al Rais, an assistant director-general at the MBRSC, said at Sharjah’s International Government Communication Forum this year that MBZ-Sat could also help in the fight against fake news on climate change.

“Satellites and space technologies play a significant role as tools for providing accurate information by covering different locations around the world, especially remote areas without available services,” he said.

MBZ-Sat will deliver "three times the data our previous satellites offered”, benefiting decision-makers in sectors such as urban planning and environmental management, according to Mr Al Rais.

“We are part of the international charter to provide satellite images to countries facing natural disasters and, last year alone, we provided over 150 reports with satellite imagery to help these countries quickly manage crises,” he said.

Additional reporting by Salam Al Amir