Sharjah Sat 1 successfully launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida

The Sharjah Sat 1 satellite successfully launched into space on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday.

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah, observed the launch at the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology of the University of Sharjah, through a live broadcast, reported the state news agency, WAM.

The expected lifetime of the satellite is three years, subject to increase, according to the effect of solar radiation on the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere due to its proximity to the low Earth orbit (550 km), around which Sharjah Sat 1 revolves. During its mission, it will carry out various scientific tasks such as studying the sun, X-ray emissions and space weather.

The Deputy Ruler of Sharjah congratulated Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the UAE leadership on the successful launch of the satellite, stressing that the UAE has taken successful and steady steps towards space exploration through various missions and is now supported by Sharjah Sat 1, reported WAM.

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed said at the launch, “We start our year by reaching space, and we commend the efforts of the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Science and Technology, and we are proud of the Emirati cadres of engineers and researchers, who worked on the completion of ‘Sharjah Sat 1’. Today, we see its successful launch into space to perform the expected scientific tasks, after reaching the specified orbit, 550 km from sea level.”

He also congratulated the academy’s engineers who contributed to this achievement.

In recent developments, the UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) received the first signal from the Rashid rover on December 15, following its launch on December 11 last year.

Read: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre receives first signal from Rashid rover