Striking views of Arab countries from space in 20 KhalifaSat images

From Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to Oman, the first Emirati-built satellite has photographed many Arab nations

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The first Emirati-built satellite has been capturing stunning views across the Arab region since its launch in 2018.

From photos of Dubai’s artificial islands and skyscrapers to the unique landscape and architecture in Saudi Arabia, KhalifaSat has shown how remarkable these structures look from space.

It is the UAE’s third Earth-observation satellite, but is the most advanced one so far. The first two were DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2.

Since launching into space on a Japanese rocket, the 330-kilogram satellite has captured tens of thousands of images, including of landmarks, disaster-struck areas and ones for commercial use.

The National highlights some of the most impressive photos KhalifaSat has captured over the years of the UAE and other Arab countries.

Its lifespan was designed for five years, but the engineers at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre plan to use it for as long as possible.

An even more advanced version is set to launch next year, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The MBZ-Sat satellite is expected to be the region’s most powerful Earth-observation satellite.

Named after Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the satellite weighs about 800 kilograms.

KhalifaSat will remain operational even after the launch of MBZ-Sat and will continue supplying images.

30 stunning images of the UAE from space — in pictures

Updated: January 11, 2022, 5:08 AM