Saudi Arabia Plans To Launch a Small Satellite Every Two Years!

            

            

           King Abdulaziz City For Science andTechnology(KACST) devised a 12 year space program. Under this program, a small satellite will be launched into space one every two to three years. The announcement was made by Prince Turki Bin Saud Mohammed, President of KACST during a speech on the summary on September 6, 2015. This day also marked the 30th anniversary of the launch of the spaceship Discovery by NASA. 

KACST was established in 1977 has had several scientific achievements. In 2012, KACST announced the first electrostatic generator in Saudi Arabia. On April 28, 2015, Arabsat and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) today announced contracts for Lockheed Martin to manufacture two A2100 communications satellites. In conjunction with the award, Lockheed Martin, KACST and TAQNIA Space Company, a subsidiary of the Saudi Technology Investment and Development Company (TAQNIA), signed an agreement to explore future design, manufacture, assembly and integration of satellites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

According to SaudiGazette.com, Prince Turki said KACST is scheduled to implement its satellite program starting from 2019 through 2020, in collaboration with a team composed of experts from NASA, the German Space Agency and Stanford University.Following the first two launches, the university will enter into its long-term program of developing MDSS small satellite systems.

Prince Turki is the current president of president of KACST and received his PHD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University. He joined KACST as Director of the newly established Space Research Institute in 1997 before becoming Vice President of KACST in 2004.