Satellite launch marks a new milestone in UAE-China cooperation

The recent launch of a multirole satellite jointly developed by Chinese and Arab engineers has marked a "new milestone for the cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and China," according to the Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites.

The Arab Satellite 813 was lifted into its preset orbital position on Wednesday by a Kinetica 1 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert.

It carries a hyperspectral imager, a panchromatic imager, and an atmospheric polarimeter to obtain data for precise monitoring of vegetation, water bodies, and land use, detailed mapping and surface feature detection, as well as environmental survey and climate change research.

The satellite is the first space cooperation project among Arab countries and has been led by the UAE. The 813 in its name is meant to honor the year that marked the rise of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad — an era of scientific flourishing that the project seeks to revive.

The UAE's National Space Science and Technology Center signed an agreement with the Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites in 2023 to jointly build a unique hyperspectral satellite in terms of weight, size and efficiency.

More than 40 engineers from the UAE's National Space Science and Technology Center, including researchers and engineers from other Arab countries, contributed to building the satellite.

Through the implementation of the satellite project, UAE University students and researchers have gained hands-on experience in designing, developing, and testing space systems, as well as utilizing satellite data in community-driven research projects.

This mission highlights a major achievement in China–UAE space cooperation and lays a solid foundation for further strategic collaboration and deepened exchanges between the two countries in the space sector, according to the Shanghai center.