H.E. Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, director general of EIAST, Dr. Leland Blank, dean of the College of Engineering at AUS, and Dr. Mohamed El-Trahuni, associate dean and director CEN graduate prog., College of Engineering at AUS. Photo: EIAST

[Via Satellite 11-06-2014] The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) and the American University of Sharjah (AUS) have begun working on the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) first CubeSat. Known as Nayif 1, Emirati engineers and a team of seven AUS students from various Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines will build the satellite. Innovative Solutions in Space, a manufacturer of nano-satellite components, has also partnered on the Nayif 1 project.

EIAST will lead the satellite’s integration, with participation from students. Once complete, Nayif 1 will carry out a 1U communication mission. A ground station will also be built at AUS, where Emirati engineering students will be responsible for mission planning and operations. SpaceX has been selected to launch the CubeSat aboard a Falcon 9 rocket in 2015.