UAE satellite Falcon Eye 1 to launch on Thursday — after two postponements

New date and time set for launch of UAE's fourth reconnaissance satellite after two delays

Engineers stand around the Vega rocket that will launch FalconEye1 into space. Wam

The UAE will launch its 10th satellite into space on Thursday.

FalconEye1, a reconnaissance satellite, will be launched from the French Guiana Space Centre at 5.53am UAE time.

The new launch time comes after two sets of postponements caused by poor weather over the North Atlantic coast of South America.

Once launched, via an Italian Space Agency-developed Vega rocket, Falcon Eye will orbit the Earth for 10 years. It is programmed to take high-resolution images that will be transmitted back to Earth and used for military and civilian use.

Built by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia, and weighing around 1,500kg, the satellite's images will be used for mapping, agricultural monitoring, urban planning and monitoring changes in the environment, helping with response planning for natural disasters, and monitoring the UAE's borders and coasts.

The launch can be watched live on the Arianespace website or YouTube channel. The stream will begin 15 minutes before lift-off.