Page 77 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2022

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

SATELLITE NEWS

UAE-Made MBZ-SAT to be Launched in Late 2023

Salem Humaid Al Marri, Director-General
of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
(MBRSC), said the center is drafting
strategic plans, in line with the visions of His
Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister
and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown
Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme
Commander of the UAE Armed Forces,
aimed at establishing a knowledge-based
economy in the UAE. In a statement to the
Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Marri
stressed that this vision is helping advance
the national space and technological
innovation sectors, noting that a specialist
team was sent to South Korea 17 years
ago, which led to the establishment of the
current Emirati space program and the
launch of locally-made satellites. Emirati
companies are working on international
projects, including the UAE-made MBZ-SAT, sector, being the most advanced satellite related projects have helped train Emirati
which will be launched by the end of 2023 in the region in the field of high-resolution professionals, who now occupy in new and
as the second operational Emirati satellite, satellite imagery. He also highlighted the advanced positions, and who are also an
he said, noting it was made by Emirati ongoing cooperation with regional and inspiration to Emirati and Arab youth, such
engineers after KhalifaSat, and will play a international companies in establishing a as Emirati astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori.
pivotal role in supporting the Emirati space local space industries center, adding that

Hughes Selected for Mexican Satellite Initiative

Hughes Network Systems has announced that its JUPITER System platform has been selected by Stargroup, Apconet/Aitelecom,
Eutelsat and Globalsat to power satellite
connectivity at more than 7,200 sites
across Mexico. Additionally, Stargroup says
it has secured Ka-band capacity from the
Hughes JUPITER high-throughput satellite
fleet. The aforementioned companies were
selected to connect community internet
access sites by state utility firm Comision
Federal de Electricidad (CFE), which is
overseeing the government’s ‘Internet para
Todos’ (‘Internet for All’) initiative. The
project will see broadband access extended
to schools, health clinics and community
centers in rural and hard to reach areas of
Mexico.

77 MAY-JUNE 2022