Dubai – Mubasher: The UAE will launch KhalifaSat, the first Emirati-built satellite, on 29 October.
The satellite will be fired into orbit at the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan, Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum said on Twitter.
"This is an important milestone for our country, an achievement made possible because our leadership supports Emirati youth and encourages them to excel in the fields of innovation and technological development," Al Maktoum tweeted.
In July, director-general of the UAE Space Agency Mohamed Nasser Al Ahbabi revealed that the UAE was planning to boost space sector investments to AED 22 billion ($5.99 billion) by having 10 multi-purpose satellites.
"KhalifaSat marks a critical milestone in the nature and form of the UAE's investment in the space industry,” Al Ahbabi had told Emirates News Agency (WAM) at the time.
He also noted that the country’s first fully-manufactured satellite by a team of Emirati engineers would be a source of inspiration for generations to come.
