Emirati entrepreneurs launch first wildlife satellite in UAE

ABU DHABI: A team of young Emirati entrepreneurs have launched the first satellite, Ghalib, to track wildlife in the UAE. Developed by an Emirati Company Marshall Intech, the satellite was successfully launched on SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Florida, Emirati official news agency WAM reported.

The satellite entered its orbit, 550km above sea level. Equipped with the advanced technologies, Ghalib satellite allows researchers to track wildlife and bird migration in the remote areas of the country and assists in monitoring animals and conservation.

The launch demonstrates the increasing role of young Emirati entrepreneurs in the UAE space industries and their contributions that enhance the country’s position as a leader in the region’s space sector.

The team includes a group of Emirati entrepreneurs specialised in the fields of advanced technology such as electrical and mechanical engineering, software, communication and electronic design.

Mohammad bin Ghalib, head of the group; Omar bin Ghalib, head of industries and projects; Hamad bin Ghalib, electronic engineer; Aisha bin Ghalib, user developed systems; Matar bin Ghalib, electronics engineer; Sara bin Ghalib, ground station; and Alia Al-Omrani Al Shamsi, vice-president of the Software Development; are part of the team.

Fully-designed by the Marshall Intech, the electronic board of the main payload uses three frequency bands of communications and is responsible for receiving location data from transmitters on the ground, storing the data and subsequently transmitting it to the ground stations.

Marshall Intech, a subsidiary of the UAE Bin Ghalib Group, plans to launch a constellation of six satellites. The company has a team of young national cadres specialised in advanced technologies, electrical and mechanical engineering, software programming and telecommunication.

Preparations to launch the first satellite began four years ago, with the Marshall Intech team coming together to develop tracking devices, ground station readiness, models of electronic boards, transmitters and broadcasters.
The UAE has invested an estimated Dh22 billion in the space sector, and the government is intensifying efforts to empower the private sector in the country to become a key partner in the National Space Strategy.

Providing support to the Emirati entrepreneurs and encouraging young people to enter the new economic fields represents a fundamental approach to establish the UAE’s position in the future industries sector.

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