Emirati engineers take part in nano satellite training program in Japan

18 January 2017

A delegation of Emirati engineers has participated in a specialized training program, held in Tokyo, Japan, with the aim of developing the UAE’s space science and satellite technology capabilities. The training comes as part of the capacity building programme launched by the UAE Space Agency in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The program included workshops on nano satellite technologies covering a range of topics, including production, testing, costing, control systems, applications and performance.

The Emirati engineers went on to tour leading research and development sites, including the NEC Corporation’s Fuchu Plant, JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry’s Tobishima plant and Axelspace, a company specializing in micro-satellite production.

In addition, the delegation held meetings with the Japanese Cabinet Office; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; and the Japan Space Forum.

H.E Dr. Khalifa Al Romaithi, Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, said: “This program contributes to the realization of our strategic vision to develop national capabilities, providing the national space sector with the human elements necessary for its growth and development throughout the coming years and decades.”

H.E Dr. Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, said: “The Capacity Building Programme is a manifestation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the UAE Space Agency and a number of stakeholders in the Japanese space sector. The document stipulated a number of ways for both sides to further cooperate in developing, training and exchanging specialists involved in space-related science, technology and engineering.”

The training program lasted ten days, and included participants from the UAE Space Agency, Mohamed bin Rashid Space Centre and YahSat.