Earth observation satellite
DubaiSat-1
(
Arabic
:
??? ???-1
) is a
remote sensing
Earth observation satellite
built by the
Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre
(MBRSC)
under an agreement with
Satrec Initiative
, a satellite manufacturing company in
South Korea
.
[3]
DubaiSat-1 was launched on 29 July 2009 into a 680 km altitude
Sun-synchronous polar orbit
from the
Baikonur
launch site in
Kazakhstan
, along with several other satellites on board the
Dnepr
launch vehicle.
[4]
[5]
[6]
Overview
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]
DubaiSat-1
observes the earth at a
Low Earth orbit
(LEO) and generates high-resolution optical images at 2.5 m in
panchromatic
(black-and-white) and at 5 m in
multispectral
(colour) bands. These images provide decision makers in the UAE as well as MBRSC clients with a valuable tool for a wide range of applications including
infrastructure
development, urban planning, and environment monitoring and protection. DubaiSat-1 images are also useful for promoting
geosciences
and remote sensing research in the region, and for supporting different scientific disciplines in private and academic sectors.
[7]
[8]
For example, DubaiSat-1 images have been used, to monitor progress on
The World
megaproject,
Palm Islands
, and the
Al Maktoum International Airport
.
[9]
[10]
The
United Nations
also used DubaiSat-1 images to monitor relief efforts following the
2011 T?hoku earthquake and tsunami
in
Japan
.
[11]
[12]
The satellite accommodates two main payloads. The primary payload is the
Dubai Medium Aperture Camera (DMAC)
, and the secondary and experimental payload, the
Space Radiation Monitor (SRM)
.
[3]
The DMAC system is
pushbroom imaging system
with one panchromatic and four multi-spectral imaging channels. It also consists of an
Electro-Optical Subsystem
and the
Payload Management Subsystem
. The Electro-Optical Subsystem has a
telescope
, a focal plane assembly, and a Signal Processing Module. The Payload Management Subsystem consists of the
Thermal and Power Module
and the
Mass storage and Control Module
.
[3]
The
Space Radiation Monitor
, the secondary and experimental payload, is capable of measuring the
total ionizing dose
from the charged particles at the orbits of satellites. The instrument utilizes four
p-type Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effects Transistors (MOSFETs)
. These devices measure the current-voltage characteristics of the satellite. Subsequent analysis will allow measurements of the amount of cumulative ionizing dose, and of the total ionizing dose of the devices.
[3]
Structure
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DubaiSat-1 has a hexagonal body with three deployable solar panels. The frame includes spacecraft adaptors, six
longerons
, rails, an inner ring that provides rigidity and stability of the satellite's camera, inner rods and three decks. Three spacecraft adaptors connect with shear brackets and mechanically couple the satellite and separation adaptor of the launch vehicle, the Dnepr rocket. Each one of the spacecraft adaptors has separation sensors to monitor the separation condition between the satellite and the launch vehicle. The umbilical connector attaches on the lower surface of the bottom deck with its mounting support bracket.
[3]
Ground Station Components
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MBRSC's Ground Station is located in
Dubai
, and is the only ground system supporting the DubaiSat-1 mission. The ground system consists of three main subsystems:
Antenna and RF Subsystem
[
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]
The
Antenna and RF subsystem
consists of an 11.28 metre
antenna system
, an
S-band
transmitter
feed, an S-band receiver feed, an
X-band
receiver feed, and a
tracking system
. The RF equipment is used to communicate with the satellite. It receives X-band RF signals and performs RF processing. It also produces a demodulated and bit-synchronized data stream from X-band signals. In general, it are to transmit imaging orders and command the satellite through the S-band transmitter feed; receive information and health status from the satellite through the S-band receiver feed; and download the images through the X-band feed.
[3]
Mission Control Station
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From the Mission Control Station, MBRSC staff plan and operate the entire
space mission
, including the configuration and scheduling of resources for both space and ground elements. It also monitors and commands the satellite.
[3]
Image Receiving and Processing Station
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]
The third component of the ground system is the
Image Receiving and Processing Station (IRPS)
. The IRPS receives and processes the X-band downlink data in real-time. This includes generation of standard image products and catalogues for integration with system management; for archive management; and for comprehensive user interface to provide easy access to satellite image data.
[3]
The IRPS is located at MBRSC's ground station in Dubai. It has a direct interface with the main mission control station and it generates schedule requests which includes imaging and download schedules. It also archives image and ancillary data for product generation and distribution.
[3]
Applications
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]
Infrastructure development
[
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]
Satellite imagery provides an alternative way of looking at the world. It can add significant incremental data useful in a wide range of applications. The high-resolution spatial images can complement the existing
geographic information system
databases too.
DubaiSat-1 images support infrastructure development in the UAE and the
Persian Gulf
region. These images assist decision makers involved in
urban and rural planning
,
transportation
,
utilities
and
mapping
. Some images were also useful for monitoring progress on the
Dubai World Megaproject
,
Palm Islands
and the
Al Maktoum International Airport
.
[9]
[10]
Environmental
[
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]
Many environmental and meteorological events such as vegetation stress,
fog
,
land degradation
,
sandstorms
,
desertification
and
droughts
cannot be captured by ground measurements alone, making remote sensing an important tool in environmental monitoring. The sun-synchronous orbit of DubaiSat-1 merges with data from geostationary missions to provide enhancements on existing models.
Additionally, due to their low precipitation rates, arid regions are the world's major source of atmospheric dust that affects local, regional and
global climate
. Dust and sand storms create potentially hazardous
air quality
for humans, and adversely affect climate on regional and worldwide scales. Remote sensing is a demonstrably valuable tool for detecting,
mapping
and
forecasting
such events. However,
arid
and
semi arid
regions have their own specific and unique characteristics and vulnerabilities that require special attention when adapting existing remote sensing tools efficiently. Satellite imaging helps monitor and improve management of the world's agricultural resources. Multispectral images contribute by monitoring land use, generating vegetation indices, and monitoring
water quality
.
[13]
Disaster relief
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Satellite images are useful tools to assist
disaster relief teams
to determine how to tackle rescue and recovery efforts in the wake of catastrophic natural, or even man-made, events. In the aftermath of the
tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011
, MBRSC applied DubaiSat-1 to help
disaster relief
teams determine and manage the scale of the event.
[11]
[12]
Gallery
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The following are some of the satellite images taken by DubaiSat-1:
References
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]
|
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January
| |
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February
| |
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March
| |
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April
| |
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May
| |
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June
| |
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July
|
- TerreStar-1
- Kosmos 2451
,
Kosmos 2452
,
Kosmos 2453
- RazakSAT
- STS-127
(
JEM-EF
,
AggieSat 2
,
BEVO-1
,
Castor
,
Pollux
)
- Kosmos 2454
,
Sterkh No.11L
- Progress M-67
- DubaiSat-1
,
Deimos-1
,
UK-DMC 2
,
Nanosat-1B
,
AprizeSat-3
,
AprizeSat-4
|
---|
August
| |
---|
September
|
- USA-207 / PAN
- HTV-1
- Meteor-M No.1
,
BLITS
,
Sterkh-2
,
SumbandilaSat
,
UGATUSAT
,
Universitetsky-Tatyana-2
- Nimiq 5
- Oceansat-2
,
Rubin 9.1
,
Rubin 9.2
,
BeeSat-1
,
UWE-2
,
ITU-pSat1
,
SwissCube-1
- USA-208
/
STSS-Demo 1
,
USA-209
/
STSS-Demo 2
- Soyuz TMA-16
|
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October
| |
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November
| |
---|
December
| |
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Launches are separated by dots ( ? ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).
Crewed flights
are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
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