Mitsubishi chosen to launch KhalifaSat in 2017

The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) has awarded a contract to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the launch of the KhalifaSat, the institute’s third satellite launch in six years.

KhalifaSat is the first satellite to be conceptualised and built by Emirati engineers in EIAST’s satellite manufacturing facilities in Dubai, following initial development at the facilities of the institute’s partners Satrec Initiative in Daejon, South Korea.

The satellite is expected to be launched in 2017.

Under the terms of the agreement, KhalifaSat will be launched using MHI’s H-IIA launch vehicle, alongside the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s GOSAT-2, which will observe the progression of greenhouse gases on Earth.

“From conceptualisation to its actual launch, KhalifaSat is a very important project that will have a huge impact not only on the future of space technology in the region but also on the overall national development of the UAE,” said EIAST’s director general, Yousuf Al Shaibani.

“Looking back on MHI’s past projects, and especially its achievements with the high-performance H-IIA launch vehicle, we are assured of a successful and lasting collaboration with a company with one of the world’s highest launch success rates.”

EIAST was founded in 2006 to stimulate technology innovation and scientific skills among Emiratis in outer space research and development.

The institute launched its first satellite, DubaiSat-1, in 2009, followed by DubaiSat-2 in 2013.

The two observational satellites send mapping data to UAE government entities and a wide range of international government bodies and commercial data distributors.

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