Dubai to share satellite data with global space consortium in fight against climate change

Data from environmental satellite, DMSat-1 to support international efforts to protect the planet

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  DMSat-1 will help create a database of air pollutant sources in the UAE, including levels of dust. Mbrsc

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  A Soyuz 2.1a rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Roscomos

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  The payload from the UAE includes an environment satellite, called DMSat-1. Mbrsc

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  The Soyuz 2.1a rocket is carrying 38 international payloads from 18 countries to space. Roscosmos

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  The Soyuz 2.1a rocket lifts off at 10.07am Gulf Standard Time. Roscosmos

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  The payload separation of 37 small satellites will take place four hours after lift off. Roscosmos

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  The weather conditions were rainy at the launch site, but conditions were suitable for a lift offR. Roscosmos

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  The launch of four Arab satellites was postponed to March 22, after a voltage strike in the upper stage of the Soyuz 2.1a rocket occurred. Glavkosmos

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  The initial launch attempt on March 20 was called off by Russian space agency Roscosmos. The rocket will carry 38 international payloads from 18 countries. Two small satellites are from Saudi Arabia, one from the UAE and one from Tunisia. Glavkosmos

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  DMSat-1 will monitor concentrations of greenhouses gases that contribute to climate change, such as carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour. Mbrsc

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  Dubai Municipality and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (Mbrsc) are overseeing the project. The Space Flight Laboratory in University of Toronto manufactured and built the 15-kilogram satellite. Mbrsc

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  The satellite’s main scientific instrument is the polarimeter imager, which will collect data. It will work at seven different angles with two different polarisations. Mbrsc

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  An engineer works on the satellite. Mbrsc

Dubai will share data from its environmental satellite with a global space consortium that monitors the effects of climate change.

DMSat-1, which was launched into space in March 2021, captures scientific images of the atmosphere over the UAE, helping to measure the location and levels of air pollutants and greenhouse gases.

Dubai Municipality and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre is using its findings to create an air quality map of the UAE.

Now the key information beamed back by the satellite is being shared with the Space Climate Observatory International, a non-profit organisation that works with space agencies and private companies around the world.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, which oversees the satellite, joined the consortium this week, which is led by the French space agency.

Salem AlMarri, director general of the space centre, signed the organisation’s charter.

“This is a significant step, undertaken in partnership with Dubai Municipality, towards fulfilling our mission to initiate collaborations with international organisations to use the data we collect from DMSat-1,” he said.

“Our efforts will contribute to global efforts to monitor the impact of climate change, a critical issue that is vital to the sustainability of the planet and the survival of mankind.”

Global effort to combat climate change

The announcement comes at a time when the world is facing the damaging effects of climate change.

Heatwaves in many parts of the world have become more intense, with the UK and other parts of Europe in the past week experiencing record temperatures of more than 40ºC.

The satellite was built by the University of Toronto’s space flight laboratory.

Dawoud Al Hajri, director general of Dubai Municipality, said that the satellite is already collecting important data.

“The satellite has deployed advanced monitoring techniques and mechanisms in the field of air quality assurance and the reduction of air environment pollutants, in line with global developments in the field of space data and remote sensing,” he said.

“The nanometric satellite, which has introduced significant innovations in environmental monitoring in the Arab world, is now making vital strategic contributions on a global scale.”

All European space agencies support the consortium, which has national chapters in Russia, China, Japan, India, Morocco and the UAE.

Members make their satellite data accessible to the entire organisation, as well as the international community, to help in the assessment and monitoring of the global effects of climate change.

Last week, the UAE Space Agency announced plans to develop and launch a radar satellite constellation that will analyse weather and monitor climate change.

Climate change around the world - in pictures

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  Engineers carry solar panels on to the roof of a property in Barcelona in September 2022. Spain and other Mediterranean countries have generated record amounts of power from wind and solar farms. Bloomberg

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  Smoke rises from brick factory stacks in Nahrawan, Baghdad. Tackling emissions from heavy industry is crucial to tackling global warming. Reuters

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  A boy stands near a flock of sheep as a sandstorm approaches in the Syrian countryside of Tabqa. Syria is among the countries most vulnerable and poorly prepared for climate change, which is expected to worsen. AFP

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  Mountains of smouldering rubbish at the Bhalswa landfill in New Delhi, India. Reuters

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  Greenpeace activists take part in a climate change protest in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in May. AP

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  A man carries water bottles across the heavily polluted Negro River in Manaus, Brazil. About 35 tonnes of rubbish are removed daily from the river. AP

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  A helicopter drops water on a brush fire in California. Bloomberg

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  UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa speaks on the opening day of the Bonn climate change conference in Germany. Getty

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  Activists take part in a demonstration to raise awareness of global warming, during an event to mark World Environment Day in Kolkata. AFP

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  A helicopter drops water on a bushfire near a residential district in Athens. The fire forced residents to flee. AFP

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  A gauge measures water levels in the Rio Nambe river, in New Mexico. Ninety per cent of the state is experiencing extreme drought. Getty

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  Afghan refugees search for recyclable material from heaps of rubbish in Karachi, Pakistan. AP

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  A climate activist ties herself to the net during the semi-final tennis match between Croatia's Marin Cilic and Norway's Casper Ruud at the French Open in Roland Garros in Paris. AP

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  A dance group performs at a climate summit in Stockholm, Sweden. Getty

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  US climate envoy John Kerry talks to a delegate at the Stockholm 50 climate summit. Getty

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  A boat is stranded during low tide at the Chebayesh marsh in Dhi Qar province, Iraq. Reuters

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  A woman crosses a polluted river in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA

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  A man walks past an abandoned boat in the bed of a drought-affected reservoir on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen. EPA