UAE launches Etihad-SAT into space onboard SpaceX rocket, second satellite in two months

The UAE successfully launched its high-precision observational satellite Etihad-SAT into space on Saturday, March 15, on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This marks the nation’s second satellite to launch within the first three months of 2025.

Scientists at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai and space enthusiasts everywhere counted down as the centre’s first Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Shortly after its launch, the team confirmed the successful return of the first stage booster, which SpaceX said, made a “brief sonic boom” prior to landing.

What’s special about this sat?

Etihad-SAT is a 24/7 imaging satellite, which means it can capture images of the Earth round the clock — come rain, shine, or fog.

Monitoring oil spills? Managing natural disasters? Check and check. This device in space can help sailors navigate the seas, support agricultural sector, and make the world safer.

Imagine our blue planet as a giant ground for electromagnetic waves to bounce off of. Etihad-SAT is equipped with a camera that captures images around the clock, sending a continuous stream of radar waves.

This strikes various materials which reflect these waves in different waves depending on their physical properties, according to Asmaa Al Janaahi, specialist in image processing section at MBRSC.

The 220kg satellite will operate at a height of 500km over the blue planet, in ‘low earth orbit’, and receives these echoes.

The data will then be processed with the help of artificial intelligence to produce high-resolution images.

Watch the moment (12.04pm) when the team at MBRSC received the first signal from the satellite:

The Dubai Crown Prince announced the completion of Etihad-SAT in February. The satellite employing latest imaging tech was developed by MBRSC in collaboration with South Korea’s Satrec Initiative.

On the occasion of the successful completion, the Deputy Prime Minister took to X to stress boundless ambitions in the space sector.

“We firmly believe in the capabilities of our youth to strengthen the UAE’s global leadership in space exploration and help shape a brighter future for humanity powered by knowledge and innovation,” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE.

How does it scan the Earth?

The satellite, which marks a new chapter in UAE’s space adventures, has three imaging modes:

• Spot mode: Want to zoom into a small area? This mode allows UAE’s scientists to access high-resolution images of small areas
• Scan mode: Looking at the larger picture? Scan mode provides wider area coverage
• Strip mode: This enables the team to get images and look at a longer strip of the planet

Months after country’s first SAR

The country’s very first low earth orbit SAR satellite was launched into space in August 2024, as part of a ‘constellation’. The project was part of a 2023 Earth Observation Programme, designed to build observation capabilities in the UAE.

However, this constellation of orbiting satellites would cover not just the UAE, but the Middle East and beyond.

The country’s first SAR satellite, which blasted off last year, is owned by AI-powered geospatial solutions provider Bayanat and was launched by the UAE’s Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat).

Second satellite in two months

Etihad-SAT comes just two months after the UAE’s previous space project. On January 14, the nation rejoiced as a highly advanced satellite, MBZ-SAT took off from a base in California.

The optical imaging satellite could produce 10 times more images than the MBRSC generated at the time, with data being shared at thrice the speed.

Developed by an all-Emirati team, the satellite aids in planning disaster relief efforts, monitoring urban growth, and even analysing traffic patterns!

What’s the difference?

The country has sent numerous satellites to space, including optical satellites and a SAR satellite in 2024. The two differ in the kind of tech used:

• While optical satellites capture light waves emitted from the sun, SAR satellites emit electromagnetic radar waves, which then reflect back from the surface
• The optical satellites provide images and data, while SAR satellites can provide detailed mapping and measurements of the monitored areas

UAE’s space sector

The country made history on September 25, 2019 when Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati in space, and the first Arab on board the International Space Station.

That was just the beginning of a wave of space achievements by the country.

In 2020, UAE became the first in the region to join NASA’s Artemis Accords that would bring the first woman, and the first person of colour to the Moon.

On February 9, 2021, the country became the first Arab country and the fifth country in the world to reach Mars with its landmark Hope Probe.

In 2023, the country launched the Rashid Rover in hopes to reach the moon.

Although it failed due to running out of fuel, the Dubai Ruler was determined ‘UAE will not stop’, announcing that the country would start working on a new lunar rover, in an announcement that came just a day after the Rashid Rover failed to land.

In late 2024, the Dubai Crown Prince announced that the country’s investments in the space sector reached Dh40 billion over the past years.

It is 2025, and the space exploration knows no bounds; satellites are being launched within months of each other, the UAE is increasingly targeting lunar missions, and collaborating with international initiatives in its pursuit of what lies beyond our skies.

ALSO READ:

• Etihad-SAT: UAE’s newest satellite to help manage natural disasters, detect oil spills

• UAE: Sheikh Hamdan announces new space project Etihad-SAT to launch in March

• MBZ-SAT launches on January 14: What to know about this UAE satellite and why it matters