UAE's first gov't satellite set for lift-off

BLAST OFF: DubaiSat-1 is set for lift-off at 8.46pm UAE time.

The UAE government’s first satellite is set for lift-off Wednesday night from its launch site in Kazakhstan.

The remote sensing satellite – DubaiSat-1 – is scheduled for take off 8.46pm UAE time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the National reported.

DubaiSat-1, which has cost AED184m ($50m) to develop, will be used to take detailed photographs of the region for use in urban planning and disaster relief, the paper said.

“Delays in launching procedure are not unusual and happen frequently as it is linked to the results of the final tests undertaken by the team of scientists and experts to ensure accomplishing the process in the smoothest way possible,” said Ahmed al Mansoori, director of the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST).

DubaiSat-1 was set to launch on July 25, but was delayed at the last minute for safety checks, the paper said.

If lift-off goes to plan the first images are expected to be beamed back to Dubai within hours, but it may take several days for the satellite to become fully operational.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

still not bothering
Posted by Saif, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Tuesday 4 August 2009 at 23:31 UAE time


Doug

first, this kind of spying you are talking about is physically intrusive (taking notes next to me etc), and that does effect my day to day life. Now the kind of monitoring "supposedly" done by this satellite will not bother you directly, but will help maintain security in a region of such demographics. proof? security levels in the UAE relative to demographics, and within its political & geographical stance

second, I ddnt see the issue bothering many people when done in their own countries, were "spying" is much more intrusive and is not always used for the best causes.

at least I can do whatever I want in the UAE, within the law, and absolutely not be affected

Dubai Sat 1
Posted by Chris Holtom, Bourne, UK on Tuesday 4 August 2009 at 21:10 UAE time


Well done Abdul M. Ismail on the informative comment. I do suggest other readers follow his links and also to Salah - this is a well run project by UAE which will help the country in a number of areas. You should be feeling proud indeed. The spying stuff is rubbish and I strongly advise those who think this way to get themselves educated on (A) what satellites can and cannot do and (B) real spying

US encryption
Posted by Doug, Dubai on Thursday 30 July 2009 at 12:27 UAE time


I believe the rule in the US is that you are permitted to use any encryption you care to use for your communications. However, a law enforcement agency can get a court order that will mean you must provide the 'key' to decrypt the information. This means that yes, the government can theoretically observe your communications but only after having demonstrated in a court of law that your communications should be read by a third party.

nonsense
Posted by Dr Paul Goodwill Ambassador to my Auntie Margaret, Dubai, UAE on Thursday 30 July 2009 at 11:00 UAE time

"In US it is illegal to use an encryption method unknown to the gov" - oh really? Utter nonsense. Please quote the law that says this.

As for fears of the UAE authorities using this satellite to spy on people... it makes no sense. If you want to spy on people in your own country, there are far better methods - CCTV, hidden bugs in buildings, telecoms monitoring, spyware installation on blackberry phones(!), aircraft surveillance, etc.

Spy satellites are useful when you want wide coverage over lands you don't control and don't have easy access to, cannot fly planes over, and so on.

The UAE does not have the capability to build satellites - this one is made in South Korea. So impossible to put up spy technology secretly if you buy it from another country.

View all comments (11) >>

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM