New satellite named in honour of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed set to launch in 2023

MBZ-Sat will be put to civilian and commercial uses

KhalifaSat is launched from Tanegashima Island in Japan in October 2018. Nozomi Endo / Kyodo News via AP

The UAE will build a satellite to be named in honour of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

MBZ-Sat is expected to be launched in 2023.

It will be put to civilian and commercial uses and will be built by Emirati scientists and engineers.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced the project on Wednesday.

"We approved building the new satellite MBZ-Sat, the region’s most technologically advanced in the civil and commercial sector, to be 100 per cent designed by Emiratis," he said.

"This bears the name of my brother Mohamed bin Zayed, may God protect him.

"Our first satellite entirely developed in the UAE was KhalifaSat that is already sending high-res space images.

"Our efforts continue towards developing a competitive and integrated space sector, led by national experts, astronauts and research centres.

"Our Hope probe and lunar rover are the beginning of the UAE’s participation in the global race to space."

The 3 metre x 5 metre unit will weigh around 700 kg, and promises to be among the world’s most advanced high-resolution imaging satellites, officials said at a briefing.

It will show details within an area of less than one square metre, considered one of the most advanced features.

Customers could place orders online for high-resolution images around the clock. Processing and downloads will be completed in less than two hours.

The satellite is being developed at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai.

Usage will cover analysis, environmental monitoring, navigation, to help assess the severity of natural disasters and plan relief efforts.

“The announcement of the launch of the new satellite MBZ-Sat and its services is just a glimpse into what the future holds for the UAE,” said Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, MBRSC chairman.

This will be the second satellite after the KhalifaSat to be fully developed and built by Emirati engineers.

"Clearer, more accurate and  higher resolution of images is a key feature for better extraction and processing of data," Amer Al Sayegh, the centre's senior director of space engineering, told a media briefing.

KhalifaSat was launched in 2018 from Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan.

It was regarded as the first UAE-made satellite and was also built at MBRSC in Dubai.

It provides high-resolution imagery of Earth, which is periodically shared with the public. It is also used for urban planning, to monitor environmental changes and natural disasters.

Mars Hope probe launch – as it happened

The Hope probe launches from Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre on July 20. AFP

It will take the spacecraft, which later detached from the rocket, about 200 days to reach the Red Planet, arriving in February 2021. Courtesy: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

The launch of the rocket is captured on video at Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre. Courtesy: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

The first homegrown Arab space mission drew in interest from across the globe. Courtesy: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

The launch of the rocket from Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre. Courtesy: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Waiting for the launch in the morning light. MHI Launch Services twitter

Emirati journalists clap as they watch the launch of the Hope space probe at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AP

A broadcasting of the launch of the Hope Mars probe at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AFP

An Emirati man wipes a tear away with his face mask while watching the launch of the Hope space probe at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AP

Mohammed Al Mannaee, an announcer with Dubai TV, reacts as he watches the launch. AP

Sarah Al Ameeri and the UAE team watch the launch at at the Tanegashima Space Centre

The UAE team watch the launch of the Mars Hope probe at at the Tanegashima Space Centre.

Sarah Al Ameeri and the UAE team watch the launch at at the Tanegashima Space Centre

A screen broadcasts the launch of the Mars probe at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AFP

Solid rocket booster (SRB-A) was separated after burnout during the launch of the H-2A rocket carrying the Hope Probe, developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Mars explore, are recorded by cameras onboard the rocket after the lauch from Tanegashima Space Center on the island of Tanegashima, Japan. REUTERS

A screen broadcasts the launch of the Mars probe at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AFP

The launch of the rocket from Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre. Courtesy: MHI Launch Services

Omran Sharaf, the project director for the Hope space probe, speaks on his mobile phone at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai. AP

Sarah Al Ameeri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences of United Arab Emirates, celebrates with Naohiko Abe, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Senior Vice President, Head of Integrated Defence and Space Systems, after the successful launch of the H-2A rocket carrying the Hope Probe, developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Mars explore, at Tanegashima Space Center on the island of Tanegashima, Japan. REUTERS

Emiratis are pictured at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai ahead of the expected launch of the "Hope" Mars probe from Japan. AFP

The weather was clear over Tanegashima Island in southern Japan on Sunday after weeks of rain and cloudy conditions. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

Emirati engineers wave in a picture taken on Sunday from Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre. Courtesy: Emirates Mars Mission / UAE Space Agency

The launch of the rocket from Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre. Screengrab courtesy MHI Launch Services