UAE – Mubasher: The UAE has launched its fourth reconnaissance satellite, Falcon's Eye, from the French Guiana Space Centre, in South America, on Wednesday to mark its 49th National Day.

The 1,190-kilogram Falcon Eye 2 satellite, built by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space for the UAE’s armed forces, was launched by an Arianespace Soyuz rocket, according to a statement on Wednesday.

The satellite will be raised to a helio-synchronous orbit of 611 kilometres.

Airbus Defence and Space designed and tested the satellite and supplied the platform, while Thales Alenia Space designed and supplied the optical instrument and the image processing chain.

“FalconEye will offer top quality Earth observation, providing our customer with the best of what space imagery can offer. The high-performance optical satellite system represents an important step in the cooperation between the UAE and France,” Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, said.