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PROTOTYPE OF ISLAMIC SATELLITE TO BE LAUNCHED IN AUGUST

The prototype of the first Islamic satellite to be used for crescent sighting will be launched in August 2006, according to Dr. Omar Al Khateeb, Representative of the UAE in the Supreme Committee of the project.

Dr. Al Khateeb said the manufacturing process of the prototype satellite had been completed and was ready for launch in August to evaluate the performance of its task as a first step towards the launch of the actual satallite. The prototype, designed to fly at low altitude and beam crescent images to ground stations, will be tested to determine the first day of Ramadan this year.

The satellite costs $8 million, which will be collected by Darul Ifta (Religious Edicts Authority) in the form of shares held by willing Muslim countries.

Funds will also be raised through media campaigns in the Muslim countries which hold shares in the project to educate the Muslims about the satellite and brief them about its vital role in solving the confusion of moon sighting issue in the Muslim world.

The media campaign will also help a great deal in promoting the project in Muslim countries and attract investors and donors to support the launch of the satellite.

The shareholding countries will also give applications to Cairo University's Space Studies Centre to help establish land stations in their respective countries and provide training to the staff to be appointed to operate them.

He pointed out that the satellite was important as it could also be used to locate places of space pollution, cloud congregation; locust swarms as well as studying natural phenomena.

Muslim countries will not be obliged to follow the new satellites for moon or crescent sighting, particularly the start of the Holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Moon sighting has always been a controversial issue among Muslim countries, and even scholars are at odds over the issue.

While one group of scholars believes that Muslims in different countries should follow one sighting as long as these countries share one part of the night, another states that Muslims worldwide should abide by the lunar calendar of Saudi Arabia.