Al Yah 3: Countdown to launch of the UAE's latest satellite begins

The satellite, which will bring broadband and TV to Brazil and 20 African countries, will blast off from French Guiana in the early hours of Friday morning

Fueling of the new Al Yah 3 satellite, which launches early tomorrow morning.

It’s only a matter of hours before the UAE’s latest satellite, Al Yah 3, is blasted into orbit.

Already on the launchpad at the Ariane Launch Complex in Kourou, French Guiana, lift-off is set for the early hours of Friday morning, UAE time.

Social media is buzzing about the launch with people using the hashtag #journeyofpride. Mubadala, the Government investment company, along with the UAE Space Agency and Dubai Media Office are following the progress on Twitter.

The satellite has been built for Yahsat, the Abu Dhabi telecommunications company owned by Mubadala, and will extend its services, which include YahClick broadband and entertainment TV channels, to Brazil and 20 African countries.

A team from Yahsat has signed off on Al Yah 3, which shares the payload with another communications satellite built by Airbus Space and Defence.

The launch vehicle is an Ariane 5 booster, and it will be the first flight of 2018. Once launched, Al Yah will be moved into geostationary orbit and is expected to begin operations by the early summer.

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UAE's newest satellite will provide internet to remote global communities 

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