UAE Space Agency to set up meteor monitoring network in Abu Dhabi

The project is expected to provide substantial astronomical data about meteor and satellite movements

11 November 2015

The United Arab Emirates’ Space Agency announced that it has signed an agreement with the International Astronomy Centre to set up a meteor monitoring and filming network in Abu Dhabi.

The project is expected to provide substantial astronomical data about meteor and satellite movements, including their coordinates. Such information will help support research being carried out in the field of space exploration, a statement said.

As part of the agreement, at least three monitoring stations will be built in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the western region. Exact locations of the stations are yet to be confirmed but the space agency said they would be ready by the end of next year.

The agreement also provided for the establishment of a special website dedicated to space monitoring stations. The website will allow observers to see the pictures and scientific results arising from the project.

The astronomical observation network, to be set up in the UAE, will consist of a number of cameras that will film the meteors in space and then provide video clips.

Each station contains two cameras, the first one with a lens known as fish eye that covers the sky with a wide angle and the second one that will provide a narrower vision.

The fish-eye lens will allow the first camera to capture larger number of meteors appearing in the sky but the results of the analysis of the captured video clips may be less accurate. The narrow lens will collect a smaller number of shots but the results will be more precise, providing a clearer picture of the meteors and asteroids. The cameras will also be able to mark the location of meteors with greater accuracy, the statement said.

The UAE, which plans to send the Arab region’s first unmanned probe to Mars by 2021, is investing heavily to build its space exploration capbilities. Earlier this year, the country established a Dhs 100m space research centre to support its mission to Mars. The centre, the first in the Middle East, is slated to open in Al Ain by next year.

The UAE’s current investment in the space sector exceeds Dhs 20bn, according to official estimates.