Satrec Initiative (SI) of South Korea and the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) of United Arab Emirates jointly announced the development program of the DubaiSat-3 Earth observation small satellite system during a press conference held in Dubai.

DubaiSat-3 will be a state-of-the-art small satellite carrying an electro-optical camera with 0.7-meter resolution imaging capability, but it weighs less than 350 kilograms.

The DubaiSat-3 program is the third space program of EIAST in collaboration with SI following the DubaiSat-1 (launched in July 2009) and DubaiSat-2 (ready for launch) programs. The launch of DubaiSat-2 is expected in the third quarter of this year and it will be the first small satellite for commercial operation in the world that will provide 1-meter resolution image data.

EIAST will have the leadership in the development of the DubaiSat-3 system by maximizing the local activities in Dubai. SI has already signed an agreement with EIAST to provide technical consultancy for the DubaiSat-3 program this January.

Dr. Byungjin Kim, the President and CEO of SI, said "This third agreement with EIAST is a typical example that shows we have strong competitiveness in the small satellite market and we value the long-term needs of our partners."

Also, "Since the launch of DubaiSat-1 and the Malaysian RazakSAT in 2009, we have continued international programs such as DubaiSat-2 and the Spanish Deimos-2 and both of them are 1-meter class small satellites. As this agreement demonstrates, Satrec Initiative is leading the development of high-resolution Earth observation small satellites," he added.