UAE launches satellite

The United Arab Emirates successfully launched its first government satellite, DubaiSat- 1, late Wednesday evening. The satellite is currently in orbit, and receiver stations have started to establish contact with theDubaiSat- 1 and five other satellites launched from Kazakhstan by a Ukrainian-Russian Dnepr carrier rocket. The UAE satellite will, we are told, be used to provide high-resolution photographs of the region from space for urban planning and disaster relief projects. The project cost the Emirates $50 million and was managed by the Dubai-based Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST). Although the launch was originally scheduled to occur on Saturday, it was postponed four days due to security concerns. Because theDubaiSat- 1 will remain at a low-altitude orbit, experts say that it will look like a "moving star," and should be visible to proud Emiratee onlookers.