Abu Dhabi astronomers discover new asteroid

The International Astronomy Centre in Abu Dhabi has announced the discovery of a new asteroid in the solar system’s asteroid belt. Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, director of the centre, identified the asteroid by studying images taken by the Pan-STARRS 2 telescope at the Haleakala Observatory.

The centre has already received an initial certificate of discovery. The asteroid, temporarily named ‘2022 UY56’, will carry its new name for several years until extensive observations are completed to determine its exact orbit, after which the International Astronomical Union will officially name it.

Earlier, the United Arab Emirates successfully launched the first Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA.

The satellite is owned by Bayanat AI PLC and was launched in partnership with Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC (Yahsat) and ICEYE aboard SpaceX Transporter 11. The UAE has thus taken another step in realising the National Space Strategy 2030.

The SAR satellite is part of a larger space-based Earth observation programme, which aims to create an integrated constellation of satellites to continuously monitor the planet and gather AI-based geospatial analytics.

The SAR technology used on the satellite enables it to acquire images regardless of weather conditions and time of day, unlike traditional optical imaging satellites. The SAR satellite constellation will be launched within the next three years.

Source: WAM