Sheikh Sultan witnesses launch of Sharjah Sat 1 satellite

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah, on Tuesday followed, at the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology of the University of Sharjah, through a live broadcast, the launch of "Sharjah Sat 1" satellite, on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.

The Deputy Ruler of Sharjah congratulated His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the UAE leadership on the successful launch of "Sharjah Sat 1" satellite, stressing that the UAE has taken successful and steady steps towards space exploration through various missions and is supported today by "Sharjah Sat 1", and indicating that the university continues to work hard to establish scientific and research projects that serve humanity and enable university students and researchers to develop their skills and benefit from these projects.

Sheikh Sultan said, "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."

Dr. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah and Director-General of the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Science and Technology, thanked Dr. Sheikh Sultan and the Deputy Ruler of Sharjah for the great support to the academy.

He indicated that "Sharjah Sat 1" comes within a series of many satellites, and each satellite performs different tasks and goals, adding that designing these space missions and launching them, through preparing various workshops and practical applications, is in line with the UAE’s directions to build a generation capable of facing the challenges of technological development in the space industries.

The Deputy Ruler of Sharjah congratulated the academy's engineers on the project and wished them success in the upcoming projects.

The estimated 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.

• UAE
• Sharjah