The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has launched the primary set of pictures captured by MBZ-SAT and Etihad-SAT, coinciding with World Area Week 2025, marking a significant milestone in UAE satellite tv for pc imaging and Earth statement capabilities.
The discharge underscores the UAE’s rising energy in house expertise and its capability to ship high-quality imaging information for civil, environmental, maritime and infrastructure functions.
World Area Week, declared by the United Nations Common Meeting, celebrates the contribution of house science and expertise to human progress.
UAE seen from house
MBZ-SAT and Etihad-SAT signify two distinct however complementary applied sciences that collectively present a complete view of Earth.
- Named in honour of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, MBZ-SAT — launched in January 2025 — is the area’s most superior optical imaging satellite tv for pc
- Etihad-SAT, launched in March 2025, is the Centre’s first Artificial Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite tv for pc able to capturing information in all climate and lighting situations
Collectively, the satellites present constant, high-resolution information supporting key sectors similar to catastrophe administration, sensible agriculture and infrastructure growth.
Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Chairman of MBRSC, mentioned the discharge of the photographs “displays the strategic imaginative and prescient of the management and the dedication of Emirati engineers,” including that combining optical and radar applied sciences permits the UAE to “contribute progressive options to international challenges” and reinforces its place as a pioneer in house expertise.
Salem Humaid Al Marri, Director-Common of MBRSC, mentioned the 2 satellites kind a part of “a unified nationwide functionality in satellite tv for pc growth and Earth statement,” including that the discharge “demonstrates the Centre’s potential to ship dependable information supporting a number of domains” and its dedication to “constructing a brand new technology of satellites serving the UAE and the broader world.”
Weighing 750kg and measuring 3m x 5m, MBZ-SAT was developed by Emirati engineers, with 90 per cent of its mechanical buildings manufactured domestically.
It carries one of many area’s highest-resolution cameras, able to capturing pictures with double the precision of earlier fashions.
The satellite tv for pc options an electrical propulsion unit, star-tracking navigation system with metre-level accuracy, and information transmission charges 4 occasions quicker than earlier generations.
It could ship pictures inside two hours of seize — a tenfold enchancment in effectivity.
The undertaking additionally concerned partnerships with a number of UAE-based corporations, together with Strata, EPI, Rockford Xellerix, Halcon, Falcon, and EGA, additional strengthening the nation’s industrial and engineering capabilities.
UAE satellites
Etihad-SAT, developed with help from the Republic of Korea’s Satrec Initiative, makes use of radar imaging to seize high-resolution information no matter atmospheric situations or time of day.
It operates in three imaging modes — spot, scan and strip — enabling detailed, wide-area and regional monitoring for makes use of similar to maritime navigation, oil spill detection, catastrophe response, and precision farming.
The information collected by Etihad-SAT is processed utilizing synthetic intelligence to boost accuracy and pace, benefiting authorities businesses, researchers, and personal sector customers.
The collaboration with Satrec Initiative additionally facilitated information switch to Emirati groups, strengthening native experience in radar expertise.
With the discharge of those first pictures, MBRSC has bolstered its mission to construct a diversified satellite tv for pc fleet providing complementary optical and radar capabilities.
The mixed operation of MBZ-SAT and Etihad-SAT demonstrates the UAE’s rising position as a world chief in house expertise, offering superior satellite tv for pc imagery that helps native and worldwide initiatives addressing local weather change, meals safety, and sustainable city growth.