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DEWA's Sat-2 Takes Dubai's Space Mission Higher | |
| Sumita Pawar |
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is set to launch its second nanosatellite in April 2023 as part of its Space-D programme.
The 6U nanosatellite, DEWA SAT-2, is equipped with a high-resolution camera that provides continuous line-scan imaging in 7 spectral bands from an approximately 500km orbit, making it perfect for Earth observation missions.
In addition, it is also equipped with infrared equipment that can measure greenhouse gases, a feature that will enable DEWA to improve and optimise the operational performance of both water desalination and power generation plants.
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DEWA SAT-2 follows the launch of DEWA SAT-1 in January 2022, which uses LoRa IoT communication technology designed for long-range and low-power communications to expand the coverage of the existing terrestrial communications network. The combined use of these two satellites' images and IoT measurements from DEWA-SAT1 will enable DEWA to monitor seawater temperature and salinity, detect red tides, as well as do fog monitoring and forecasting.
DEWA aims to improve its planning, operating, and maintenance activities and expects to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the world's largest single-site solar park, using satellite network communication, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence. DEWA's nanosatellite projects make it the world's first utility company to use this advanced technology to improve its operations.