Friday, January 14, 2022 – 3:20 pm
DUBAI, 14th January / WAM / The nano-satellite “DEWA-SAT-1”, which was launched by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority yesterday evening, sent its first signals from space, and it is scheduled to settle in its low orbit around the Earth at an altitude between 525 and 530 km and rotate at a speed of about 7.5 kilometers per second, meaning that it will complete a complete revolution around the planet every 90 minutes.
His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, said that “Dewa-Sat 1” is a 3U nano-satellite that was launched as part of the Authority’s Space Program, with the aim of enhancing DEWA’s operations and improving maintenance and planning of electricity and water networks, depending on Nano-satellites, taking advantage of the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and information exchange through space communications, Earth observation technologies and remote sensing.
His Excellency Al Tayer said, through the “SpaceD” program, we aim to make nano-satellite technology complement the terrestrial Internet of Things communication network to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Authority’s operations and support the digitization of energy and water networks in a manner that increases the efficiency and effectiveness of planning, operation and preventive maintenance for the sectors of production, transmission, distribution, smart networks and power stations. Charging electric cars in addition to reducing costs and improving the investment of the authority’s assets, as well as transferring knowledge and expertise and training the national cadres in the authority. By the end of this year we plan to launch another 6U nano-satellite for remote sensing applications that uses specially designed high-resolution temporal and spatial imaging techniques. for the Authority’s use cases. The project includes applications for data collection and analysis, where the use of multi-spectrum and high-resolution thermal imaging devices, such as those used on spacecraft and designed specifically for the uses of electricity and water networks, is to detect thermal signatures in high-voltage transmission lines, substations and solar power plants.
It is noteworthy that the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) launched DEWA-Sat 1 in cooperation with the NanoAvionics company on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex (SLC-40) in Florida. Thus, the authority became the first service organization in the world to use nano-satellites to improve operations, maintenance and planning of electricity and water networks.
Wam/ Salma Al Shamsi/ Emad Al Ali