Riyadh – Mubasher: Saudi Arabia will launch two satellites for aerial surveying on Friday, 7 December, Majid AlMeshari, head of the National Satellite Technology Center, said.
Launched at by 07:00 am Saudi time, SaudiSat 5A and 5B are two Saudi-Arabian earth observation and technology demonstration satellites developed by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), he added.
The two satellites are a replacement of SaudiSat 2 and SaudiSat 3 launched in 2007, AlMeshari noted.
Both satellites will be launched from China-based Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert by a Chinese CZ-2D (2) YZ-3 rocket.
In October, KACST has announced the completion of the development and manufacture of the SaudiSat-5A and SaudiSat-5B remote sensing satellites.
KACST said that the satellites would be used to provide high-resolution images of the planet’s surface from low-Earth orbit and will help with urban planning, monitoring movements and changes on the Earth’s surface.
The two satellites were fully manufactured and tested in accordance with the international standards in KACST laboratories by Saudi experts.
The step comes along with the kingdom’s vision 2030 that aims to localise strategic technologies, maximise local content and empower the Saudi youths
