Dubai: The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the United Arab Emirates has announced the successful launch of the PHI-1 satellite, marking a milestone as the first modular platform developed under the Payload Hosting Initiative. This initiative is in partnership with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs as part of the Access to Space for All initiative.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the satellite was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg in California at 10:44 PM UAE time on Friday. This launch signifies a major advancement in the participation of nations, research, and educational institutions in space science and related technologies.
PHI-1 embodies the UAE’s mission to provide equitable access to space, allowing countries and organizations to test their technologies in orbit. The satellite is equipped with scientific and technological payloads from the Bahrain Space Agency, Antarikchya Pratisthan Nepal, MBRSC, and the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology, promoting international collaboration and fostering a global space community.
The PHI-1 satellite is a 12U CubeSat with a weight of 20 kilograms and is expected to operate for approximately one year. It has been designed to facilitate international partners in testing and evaluating new technologies in low Earth orbit. Its payloads include Bahrain’s AMAN payload for data encryption tests, Nepal’s long-range LoRa communications system, a high-definition video camera from MBRSC, and the LUNA payload from the Sharjah Academy, which is an electronic board for temperature measurement and orientation determination.
Developed entirely at MBRSC’s facilities in Dubai, the Centre provided technical assistance for payload integration and readiness verification to ensure the satellite meets its operational goals. Once PHI-1 reaches its orbit at approximately 500 kilometres altitude, it will start transmitting data to the Centre’s control station for analysis and dissemination to the participating entities in support of future research.