How a skills transfer arrangement helped develop a new generation of highly skilled space engineers

Ahmed Salem remembers feeling overwhelming joy at seeing the launch of DubaiSat-2, a project he worked on from the very first design phase. He doubts he would ever feel the same level of ownership and personal investment to any other engineering project. Satish Kumar / The NationalShow less

For the past eight years a growing team of highly skilled Emirati engineers has been living in South Korea, learning all there is to know about satellite design, testing and manufacture. The 20 engineers from the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) have contributed in increasing levels to building DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2. They have, for about a year, been working on the design of Khalifa Sat, which was previously known as DubaiSat-3. The satellite will be put together next year in a facility in Dubai, next to EIAST's offices, solely through the work of the engineers. In that sense, next year marks the end of a skills-transfer agreement and the beginning of a nationalised satellite design and manufacture industry. The National had the opportunity to sit down with five of these engineers to ask them to share their experiences and how they are ready to contribute to that industry.

Suhail Buti Al Dhafri

Suhail Buti Al Dhafri barely had time to enjoy a brief respite after his graduation before he was shipped off to South Korea and put to work on the first Emirati-built satellite, DubaiSat-1.

Back then, in 2006, Mr Al Dhafri only had a computer engineering qualification from the American University of Sharjah. He was attempting to grasp complex aerospace engineering concepts, and his tutors in Seoul, in turn, struggled to communicate with him in English.

Fast forward eight years and Mr Al Dhafri and the 19 other Emirati engineers in Korea are not only fluent in Korean, but also hold masters degrees in aerospace engineering and can design, test and build a satellite on their own steam.

“EIAST is on the edge of the next step in its evolution,” said Mr Al Dhafri, the payload electronics section head. “We have a lot of technologies, we have a lot of theoretical knowledge and a lot of practical hands-on experience.”

Mohammed Al Sahool

One of the first things that Mohammed Al Sahool realised when he arrived in the satellite building facility in South Korea was how academic study is no substitute for on-the-job training.

Mr Al Sahool had just graduated from UAE University with a mechanical engineering degree when he joined an already experienced team of Emirati engineers in South Korea.

“In university they teach you a lot of general things, a lot of basic principles,” he said. “But on the job, I learned many more things like how to design a 3D model, how to test it, how to make adjustments to the design.”

As with the rest of the team, Mr Al Sahool pursued a master’s degree in aerospace engineering in South Korea and now, at the age of 27, is a senior satellite mechanical engineer at EIAST.

“I look forward to seeing the next satellite designed and built in the UAE. We have the know-how and we are ready for the next challenge.”

Khalid Ibrahim Anoohi

Khalid Ibrahim Anoohi studied electronic engineering at Emirates Aviation College, but when he surveyed the jobs market in the UAE he was initially disappointed.

Most of the work involved performing basic maintenance rather than the structured design, test and build processes he had learnt as part of his course.

The 28-year-old is now working as a satellite power engineer at EIAST, where he says he is always pushing the limits of his knowledge and skills.

“I found that very few jobs actually involved the kind of engineering we study in college,” he said. “But in EIAST we are actually using our knowledge in a working, practical way. We are doing engineering and building things. We are doing research and design, and actually implementing that.”

He added: “If you are working for the airport, you’re just maintaining the machine. Here, you’re actually designing the machine.” One of the biggest challenges he had faced since moving to South Korea in 2010 was the shift in workplace culture, which took him about a year to adjust to.

Amer Mohammad Al Sayegh

Amer Mohammad Al Sayegh was one of the first three Emirati engineers sent to South Korea and has witnessed first hand the development of the country’s engineers.

The 31-year-old graduated with a degree in electronics from Queen Mary University of London and has been at EIAST since 2005.

He undertook a master’s degree in aerospace engineering with the other Emirati engineers in 2011 and is now the director of space system development and project manager of Khalifa Sat.

“If you’re living something day to day it’s very hard to notice the changes in yourself. At first, we were just observing and learning. The second satellite we tried to get more involved, we helped with the entirely new design,” he said.

“With the latest satellite the engineers are no longer just taking the easy step of going to ask the Koreans. They are doing things on their own. It does take a lot more time, and more pressure – their hair is falling out. But as a result, the engineering skills are already up to a professional level.”

Ahmed Salem

Ahmed Salem remembers feeling overwhelming joy at seeing the launch of DubaiSat-2, a project he worked on from the very first design phase.

He doubts he would ever feel the same level of ownership and personal investment to any other engineering project.

“We put everything into it, our sweat and our tears,” said the 30-year-old. “When it was launched, you can’t imagine the joy we felt.”

Mr Salem graduated in 2008 with a degree in electrical engineering from Dubai Mens College and turned down dozens of offers from other private and public bodies.

“I was sold as soon as they said the words ‘satellite’ and ‘UAE’,” he said.

Mr Salem said there was a steep learning curve after moving to South Korea. “I thought I learnt everything, but whatever I learnt only counted for about 5 per cent of what I know now,” he said.

“When they said it was rocket science, they weren’t joking. That is literally what this is.”