Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is set to launch its second nanosatellite for remote sensing applications in April 2023.
The 6U nanosatellite is part of DEWA’s Space-D program. The DEWA Sat-2 will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA. The nanosatellite was designed and developed at DEWA’s Research and Development Centre in collaboration with NanoAvionics in Lithuania.
The new satellite features a high-resolution camera (4.7 metres) that will be used for Earth observation missions. The high-resolution camera provides continuous line-scan imaging in 7 spectral bands from an approximately 500-kilometre orbit. In addition, the new satellite is equipped with infrared equipment to measure greenhouse gases.
The combined use of DEWA SAT-2 images and Internet of Things (IoT) measurements from DEWA SAT-1 will enable DEWA to improve the operational performance of power generation and water desalination plants. This is achieved by providing accurate estimates of seawater temperature, seawater salinity, detection of red tide, and fog monitoring and forecasting.
DEWA launched DEWA-SAT1 in January 2022, which uses LoRa IoT communication technology, a new wireless protocol designed for long-range and low-power communications, to expand the coverage of the existing terrestrial communications network. DEWA is the first utility in the world to launch nanosatellites to improve its planning, operation, and maintenance activities.
Furthermore, using satellite network communication, the Internet of Things, and Artificial Intelligence contributes to improving the efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world, using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model.