DUBAI: The UAE is preparing to launch a nanometric satellite to address environmental challenges and climate change in the region, the Dubai Media Office has reported.
The DMSat-1 satellite, which is the first of its kind in the region, will monitor, collect, and analyze environmental data – measure air pollutants and greenhouse gases – that could be key to developing policies.
The data will also be used to develop long-term plans to address urban pollution and climate change, as well as enhance environmental forecasting in Dubai.
The satellite will be launched on March 20 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
“Essential data provided by the DMSat-1 satellite will enable Dubai Municipality to respond to global environmental changes, identify steps to combat climate change and develop long-term environmental plans,” Dawoud Al-Hajjri, director general of Dubai Municipality, one of the proponents of the project, said.
Dubai Municipality partnered with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) for the project, which it said will also provide new research opportunities in the field of space technology and sustainability.
The move comes as the UAE, and other signatories, gear up to implement provisions of the Paris Climate Agreement – an international treaty that sets out a framework to avoid global warming.
MBRSC’s director general Yousuf Hamad Al-Shaibani said local institutions are “increasingly interested in the space sector and in utilizing advanced scientific methods to meet challenges” of the country.
The launch will help the UAE achieve its goals under the country’s Energy Strategy 2050.
