Nayif-1 nanosatellite to launch this month

Satellite to launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India.

Teams from Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and American University of Sharjah work on preparing the ground station at AUS which will operate the satellite after it launches from India. Courtesy MohamShow more

ABU DHABI // The Nayif-1 nanosatellite will be launched between February 14-25 if all goes well logistically, according to officials at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and the American University of Sharjah.

Teams from both institutions are currently working on preparing the ground station, located at AUS, which will operate the satellite after it launches on a PSLV-C37 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

Once in space, Nayif-1 will send and receive messages on amateur radio frequencies.

The space project “provides extensive knowledge to researchers, as well as the basics of satellite manufacturing and space system testing,” said Yousuf Al Shaibani, director general of MBRSC.

“Over the past two years, we began to establish CubeSat manufacturing technology in the UAE to be used in environmental and development-related fields which are of interest to the community,”

Four of the students who worked on the project have been selected to join MBRSC, he said.

“The centre aspires to build a sustainable future for the satellite industry in the UAE, and we count on our youth to provide solutions and innovations that are conducive to sector growth,” said Mr Al Shaibani.