UAE students thrilled about launch of their satellite

Dubai - Basel Altawil is a mechanical engineering student at AURAK who helped with this project.

UAE students who have built a nanosatellite, which aims to tackle climate change, will be carrying out final tests before launching it into space by the end of this year.
Nearly 30 pupils at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) and the Khalifa University have worked together on building the nanosatellite called MeznSat. It was announced earlier this month that the UAE Space Agency will be using the services of Exolaunch, a German firm, to send the nanosatellite into orbit.
Basel Altawil is a mechanical engineering student at AURAK who helped with this project. "The progress of the MeznSat is that it is in the testing phase. We did the critical design last month and, right now, we are doing the thermal and vibration testing, which is the last step of testing before launching," he said.
"I've been involved in this project for three years, and I've helped with the design of the custom port and the thermal stimulators," he added. One of the main goals of this project is to help students develop an interest in space and space-related technologies.
Altawil said more than 90 per cent of the pupils involved in the project are Emiratis, and it helped many of them develop an interest and gain knowledge in the field.
Another AURAK student who has been part of the MeznSat team for a while is software engineering student Fatema Alayyan.
"With the launch coming up, it's very frightening. There was a lot of work to do and there has been so much effort put into it," she said. "We are looking forward to launching it and we hope it will work properly."
The MeznSat includes two payloads, an RGB camera, deployable antennas, a communication system to communicate with the ground station, an onboard computer to measure sensor data on the satellite, and a spectrometer, which will measure the gases.
The UAE Space Agency has put a strong focus on developing space-related knowledge across educational institutions. It has worked with the Ministry of Education to make space studies available in schools.
Last year, the MySat-1 nanosatellite, which was developed by Khalifa University students, was launched into the orbit. 
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai