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2019-07-03

New satellite Falcon Eye to strengthen national security, serve civilian purposes

The UAE's new satellite 'Falcon Eye' - which will be launched into orbit next Saturday - has taken four years to be ready, going through several stages, ending up in being shipped from the French city of Toulouse to the French city of Guiana on 1st June.

The satellite is designed to provide global coverage for the next 10 years for military and civilian use and is characterised by a high-definition imaging system and accuracy. It also has a mobile station capable of sending and receiving images from any region in the world.

The satellite will be launched into orbit from the French Guiana Space Centre on the north Atlantic coast of South America, at 05:53 am UAE time (01:53:03 GMT).

'Falcon Eye' will be the fourth reconnaissance satellite launched by the UAE, bringing the total number of satellites in orbit to ten. The UAE plans to have 12 satellites by 2020.

The UAE satellite was built by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia, and will be launched by Vega rocket by Arianespace.

'Falcon Eye' feature a High-Resolution Imager, HiRI, imaging system with a ground resolution of 70 cm across a 20 km swath.

The images will be used in mapping, agricultural monitoring, urban planning, urban regulation, natural disaster prevention and management, monitoring of changes in the environment, desertification, as well as monitoring of the UAE's borders and coasts.

The satellite also serves the armed forces in providing high-resolution images and maps to help them achieve their tasks efficiently and professionally.

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