UAE’s recent tilt towards space exploration and a proactive approach for boosting cosmic voyages has not just inspired its peers in the gulf, but has also encouraged local talent to reach for the stars. After a successful Mars mission, development of homegrown satellites and selection of more Emirati astronauts, students from the country went on to make global headlines by testing tech-equipped rockets in the US.
The development isn’t surprising considering that young minds in the country are being assisted by the government via solutions like a virtual window into Mars. All of this has paved the way for another feat by students in the UAE, who have created a tiny satellite that is now relaying information from Earth’s orbit.
Roughly the size of a Rubik’s cube, this cosmic device developed at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, is meant to assist Emirati youth who seek to develop software for space. They’ll learn to design and test solutions, in order to create innovative tech for future space missions.
It’ll also allow students to understand the orientation or attitude of nano-satellites in the cosmos, and work on ways to adjust it as per requirements. They can do so by conducting research on software for attitude determination and control subsystems (ADCS).
Another objective of the small mechanical moon is to feed information about its movement in space to an algorithm, which will play a role in enhancing cube sats to be launched next. Weighing just one kilogram, DhabiSat is designed to consume less fuel and scale up efficiency for data gathering missions in the cosmos.
The stellar device developed with support from Al Yah Satellite Communication, is similar to the one which is lined up to be launched by Kuwait. The Qamar Al-Kuwait or Moon of Kuwait, will be the gulf kingdom’s first satellite, and is also meant to assist local students who want to develop software for space.
Apart from major Emirati projects like Falcon Eye 2, Dubai’s municipality has also launched a smaller satellite to tackle pollution and climate change.
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