Etihad-SAT: UAE's First SAR Satellite To Launch In March

Etihad-SAT, the first Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite of UAE, is scheduled for launch in the first week of March aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from California. The satellite is developed through a strategic partnership between the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre and South Korea’s Satrec Initiative.

The development of the satellite began two years ago as part of a knowledge transfer programme. The SAR technology enables high-precision Earth observation across all weather and environmental conditions during both day and night. Etihad-SAT offers three imaging modes. This includes spot mode (high-resolution imaging for small areas), scan mode (wide-area coverage for large regions), and strip mode (extended observation for longer regions).

The features make the satellite a powerful tool for various industries, from detecting oil spills and managing natural disasters to enhancing maritime navigation, supporting smart agriculture, and conducting environmental monitoring, reported Dubai Media Office. SAR technology functions by transmitting radar signals from the satellite toward Earth. These signals bounce back from surfaces and return to the satellite, where the system records data including signal return time and strength. By analysing the data, highly detailed images of the Earth's surface can be generated.