Bahrain's 1St Homegrown Satellite“Al Munther” Launched Into Space

(MENAFN- Nam News Network) MANAMA, Mar 16 (NNN-BNA) – Bahrain's first homegrown satellite,“Al Munther,” was launched into space yesterday, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, United States, Bahrain's National Space Science Agency (NSSA) confirmed.

The satellite, developed by NSSA, was launched as part of the Transporter-13 mission – a SpaceX dedicated rideshare mission, in which multiple small satellites from various organisations are launched together aboard a single rocket, according to NSSA.

“Al Munther” was successfully launched at 9:39 a.m. Bahrain time (0639 GMT) yesterday, and deployed into its designated orbit at an altitude of 550 km above sea level. The satellite will now undergo a series of orbital tests to ensure its operational readiness, before transitioning to full-scale operations.

Equipped with an artificial intelligence system, capable of real-time image analysis, the satellite's mission is to capture images of Bahrain and its territorial waters.

Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Aseeri, chief executive officer of NSSA, noted that, the successful launch of“Al Munther” represents“an unprecedented milestone” for Bahrain in the field of space science.

He added that, the project had offered a unique opportunity for a team of young Bahraini engineers, to gain hands-on experience in developing advanced space systems.

In Mar, 2023, Bahrain announced its first homegrown satellite would be named“Al Munther,” following the successful launch of the kingdom's first satellite, Light 1 in Dec, 2021.– NNN-BNA

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