DUBAI: The UAE has launched the “Falcon Eye” satellite into space to mark its 49th National Day, state news agency WAM has reported.
The Soyuz ST-A rocket took off from the French Guiana Space Centre on Wednesday carrying the Gulf country’s earth-observation satellite that could take high-resolution images.
It is the fourth reconnaissance satellite launched by the UAE, bringing the total number to 12 satellites into orbit.
The satellite will be used for mapping, agricultural and environmental monitoring, urban planning, helping with response planning for natural disasters, as well as monitoring the UAE’s borders and coasts.
“This national achievement is worthy of pride not only given the civil and military importance of Falcon's Eye, but also because it has unique characteristics, including a mobile platform for receiving and sending photos from any location in the world that will be used for various purposes,” Matar Salem Ali Al-Dhaheri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defense, said.
It will remain in low Earth orbit for 10 years to take high quality imagery.
Al-Dhaheri said the move has “reinforced the UAE’s accumulated experience in the satellite sector.”
UAE launches satellite to celebrate National Day
https://arab.news/87rm6
UAE launches satellite to celebrate National Day
- It is the fourth reconnaissance satellite launched by the UAE
- The satellite will be used for mapping, agricultural and environmental monitoring, urban planning and others
Iran temporarily closes airspace to most flights
WASHINGTON: Iran temporarily closed its airspace to all flights except international ones to and from Iran with official permission at 5:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to a notice posted on the Federal Aviation Administration’s website.
The prohibition is set to last for more than two hours until 7:30 p.m. ET, or 0030 GMT, but could be extended, the notice said. The United States was withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a US official said on Wednesday, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbors it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.
Missile and drone barrages in a growing number of conflict zones represent a high risk to airline traffic. India’s largest airline, IndiGo said some of its international flights would be impacted by Iran’s sudden airspace closure. A flight by Russia’s Aeroflot bound for Tehran returned to Moscow after the closure, according to tracking data from Flightradar24.
Earlier on Wednesday, Germany issued a new directive cautioning the country’s airlines from entering Iranian airspace, shortly after Lufthansa rejigged its flight operations across the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region.
The United States already prohibits all US commercial flights from overflying Iran and there are no direct flights between the countries. Airline operators like flydubai and Turkish Airlines have canceled multiple flights to Iran in the past week. “Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” said Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organization that shares flight risk information.
“The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defense, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic.” Lufthansa said on Wednesday that it would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice while it would only operate day flights to Tel Aviv and Amman from Wednesday until Monday next week so that crew would not have to stay overnight.
Some flights could also be canceled as a result of these actions, it added in a statement. Italian carrier ITA Airways, in which Lufthansa Group is now a major shareholder, said that it would similarly suspend night flights to Tel Aviv until Tuesday next week.
