PHI 1 Satellite Launches on SpaceX Falcon 9 From California

PHI-1, the first modular satellite platform developed under the Payload Hosting Initiative, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in partnership with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs through its Access to Space for All programme, the mission provides a flight platform for entities to test technologies in orbit. The satellite is a 12U CubeSat with an expected operational lifespan of one year. Its payloads include the Bahrain Space Agency’s AMAN technology demonstration to test Advanced Encryption Standard protocols for satellite communication security, a LoRa Satellite System from Antarikchya Pratisthan Nepal to assess LoRa communication performance in orbit, a New Space Video Camera from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre for high definition imaging, technology validation and educational outreach, and a student designed board from the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy Space Sciences and Technology to measure temperature and orientation in space. PHI-1 was designed, assembled and fully integrated at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre’s facilities in Dubai, with partner teams working alongside engineers from concept design through testing and flight preparation. The Centre provided mission assurance to ensure subsystems and payloads met standards for in orbit operation. Data from the satellite will be received at the Centre’s Mission Control Centre and shared with participating organisations to support research, refine technologies and build operational capabilities.