ISTANBUL

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has launched an Earth observation satellite carrying the name of its president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Emirati state news agency WAM said the MBZ-Sat was put into orbit late Tuesday, describing the observation satellite as the region’s most advanced.

According to WAM, the 750kg satellite blasted off into orbit from the US Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a Falcon 9 rocket operated by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX.

MBZ-Sat was developed and engineered by Emirati engineers at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), WAM said.

The observation satellite will contribute "to disaster management and improving life by producing high-resolution images around the clock, with a detail area of less than one square meter," it added.

In 2017, the UAE launched its astronaut program to train and prepare a team of Emiratis to be sent to space on various scientific missions, after which its first national astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi successfully performed a spacewalk on the International Space Station.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar