Artist's rendering of the DubaiSat-1 satellite in orbit.
Artist's rendering of the DubaiSat-1 satellite in orbit.

UAE

After years of work and delays, DubaiSat-1 finally ready for lift-off

If all goes as planned, the UAE's first government satellite will streak into orbit tonight from a launch site in Kazakhstan.

Charlie Hamilton

July 29, 2009

ABU DHABI // If all goes as planned, the UAE's first government satellite will streak into orbit tonight from a launch site in Kazakhstan. The remote sensing satellite - DubaiSat-1 - is scheduled to take to the sky at 10.46pm UAE time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, if weather conditions are favourable. The launch is the culmination of more than three years' work and Dh184 million (US$50 million) in research and development.

Travelling at about 27,000kph, it will orbit 680km above the Earth and take detailed photographs of the region for use in urban planning and disaster relief. No one from the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST), which has overseen the project, was available for comment ahead of the launch. After several months of delays, lift-off was initially scheduled for last Saturday but was postponed at the last minute to allow for new safety and security checks.

Speaking from Kazakhstan after the postponement, the director of EIAST, Ahmed al Mansoori, underlined that delays of this kind were common. "It is extremely important that the launching company ensures maximum readiness of all equipment related to the launch pad and satellites, including DubaiSat-1, travelling aboard the Dnepr rocket," he said. "Delays in launching procedure are not unusual and happen frequently as it is linked to the results of the final tests undertaken by the team of scientists and experts to ensure accomplishing the process in the smoothest way possible."

The satellite is one of several being fired into space atop a modified Russian Dnepr-1 rocket. The launch will take place under tight security at the cosmodrome, where Yuri Gagarin lifted off in 1961 to become the first man in space. The Russian Federal Space Agency will oversee the operation through the Moscow-based international space company Kosmotras. The first images are expected to be beamed back to Dubai within hours of the DubaiSat-1 achieving its orbit altitude, but the fragile satellite may not be fully operational for several days.

chamilton@thenational.ae

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Name: Kumulus Water
 
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(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)

Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')

Derby County 0

(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)

Final

Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE) 

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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

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What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru

Test

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Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

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The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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Videographer: Jear Valasquez 
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Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat 
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

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Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

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BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

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What to watch out for:

Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways

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The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history

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Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used

RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile

Started: 2016

Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel 

Based: Ramallah, Palestine

Sector: Technology, Security

# of staff: 13

Investment: $745,000

Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors

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