The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science & Technology (EIAST) hosted a 12-member Omani delegation and discussed joint co-operation and also its future development plans with the visiting members.

The delegation comprised members of Oman Astronomical Society (OAS), Sultan Qaboos University and the Sultanate's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.

The visit was aimed at identifying EIAST’s future development plans and programmes, as well as discussing aspects of co-operation between them and learning more about the vital role played by 'DubaiSat-1,' the first remote sensing satellite owned by the UAE.

The team, headed by Dr Saleh Said Al Shidhani, chairman of OAS, visited the ground station connected to DubaiSat-1, the Image Processing and Data Analysis lab, and the Assembly Integration and Test room.

Ali Rashid Al Suwaidi, associate research engineer – Ground Station, gave a detailed presentation on the launch process of DubaiSat-1 and how the ground station is connected to the satellite for receiving images.

Ahmed Al Mansoori, director general, EIAST, said: “Today, scientific space research has a key role to play in driving overall socio-economic development. These researches are focused on the employment of advanced technologies to strengthen the march of human civilization and human advancement, and have indeed become a beacon of hope for solving planet earth’s problems and crises.”

'With the successful launch of Dubai Sat-1, the UAE has established a site for research and advanced technology in space to provide useful solutions for the overall welfare of the nation,'  Al Mansoori noted.

'The visit of Omani delegation is important and will be followed by more visits for joint co-operation. EIAST seeks to promote the culture of advanced scientific research and technology innovation, and establish international collaborative links and joint projects with industry and research organizations,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service