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In a bid to become the regional leader in space technology, Dubai announced on Tuesday plans to launch a third satellite into space by 2017.

DubaiSat-3 will be the most advanced satellite of its kind when launched and it will be the first to be completed by Emirati engineers in the UAE.

A special facility will be built at the headquarters of the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) in Dubai to help complete the development of the satellite inside the UAE.

Scientists and engineers from the Satrec Initiative in South Korea will partner with a team of 45 Emirati engineers to complete the project. DubaiSat-3 will initially be developed in South Korea and later transferred to EIAST’s satellite manufacturing facilities in the UAE midway through the project.

Dr Byong Jin Kim, president of the Satrec Initiative described DubaiSat-3 as an “important landmark in the UAE’s satellite development programme”.

He lauded the support from Emirati engineers as he admired their “dedication, hard work, creativity and commitment to excellence”.

Construction of clean rooms and labs free from dust and humidity will mark the onset of UAE’s vision to entirely manufacture its own satellite in the future. Describing DubaiSat-3 as an ‘important step’, Hamad Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Board of Directors of EIAST said their goal was to “develop a core team of local experts and position UAE as a global leader in science and technology”.

Dubai first partnered with South Korea’s Satrec Initiative when it started work on DubaiSat-1, which was launched in 2009. Images captured by the satellite have been useful in the development of major infrastructure projects by the Dubai Municipality and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The satellite also captured images detailing the development of the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central.

Unveiling the technical specifications of DubaiSat-3, Salem Al Marri, Assistant Director-General for Scientific and Technical Affairs, EIAST said: “The satellite bus of DubaiSat-3 will be similar to that of DubaiSat-2, but there will be significant changes in its payload and the size of the camera. It will also feature a new, highly sophisticated camera system, which works as an accurate magnifier achieving a sub-meter resolution of 70 centimetres from a distance of 600 kilometres above the surface of the Earth. There will also be improvements in the download speed and computing capabilities.”

Improved imaging and faster download speeds will provide town-planning experts with detailed images. Previously, images provided by DubaiSat-1 have been used to prove The World Islands off Dubai’s coast are not sinking.

The new satellite will have an electronic propulsion system allowing the satellite to shift its position. Cameras on board the satellite will also be able to tilt and extend their area of coverage.

“DubaiSat-3 will have a much higher resolution giving better details. The satellite is bigger and it will have almost twice the capacity and also shift faster, providing a better capability to target,” added Salem.

Development of the latest satellite will start in South Korea and after completion of two years, the satellite will be brought to UAE. The final year and a half of development will be completed at the EIAST facility in Dubai.

For the team of Emirati engineers at EIAST, the project will provide a chance to position UAE as a leader in regional space technology.

“Space programmes are a big source of national pride and when you have your own people doing it, it becomes an even bigger source of pride,” said Salem.

Senior officials from the EIAST also confirmed the launch of DubaiSat-2 would take place later this year.

UAE is positioning itself as a provider of advanced technology and with the completion of the latest satellite, Emirati engineers should be able to develop different satellites with varied applications.