Abu Dhabi has stepped into space as its first satellite, which would provide military, commercial as well as civilian communication, was successfully launched on Saturday. The Ariane 5 rocket carrying Y1A of Yahsat, a unit of Abu Dhabi’s investment arm the Mubadala Development Company, lifted off from the European Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, at 1.37am Abu Dhabi time on Saturday, a company statement said. Y1A is part of $1.6-billion satellite programme which will be completed when another satellite will be fired into space in the last quarter of the year. Y1A is the fifth satellite sent by the UAE into space for communication purposes. Thuraya, a satellite communications company, has sent three geo-mobile satellites into orbit to provide voice and date communication services. Dubai’s DubaiSat1 is a remote-sensing satellite launched in July 2009. Read More
