“DewaSat 1” sends 2690 MB of data to the ground station

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced that its nanosatellite (DewaSat-1) has sent 2,690 megabytes of data related to the authority’s work areas to the ground station since its launch in January 2022. DewaSat-1, of the 3U type, provides direct communications via Through the Internet of Things system installed on board the satellite using LoRa technology for long-range, low-power wireless communications, the data is secured through the Authority’s encryption and data preservation standards.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, stressed that “Dewa continues its efforts to benefit from the latest technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to develop smart and sustainable infrastructure,” noting that the (Space-D) program aims to make nanosatellite technology complementary For a terrestrial Internet of Things communications network to monitor assets remotely, which supports the digitization of energy and water networks and increases the efficiency and effectiveness of planning, operation, and preventive maintenance processes for the production, transportation, and distribution sectors. In addition, the program contributes to reducing costs and improving the return on investment of the Authority’s assets, as well as sharing knowledge and training the Authority’s national cadres.”
Al Tayer explained that DEWA’s Space Program (Space-D) aims to improve the efficiency of electricity and water networks by relying on nanosatellites and remote sensing technologies. The Authority is the first service organization in the world to use nanosatellites to improve the operations, maintenance and planning of electricity and water networks, in a way that enhances operational efficiency and contributes to improving the efficiency and reliability of the Authority’s operations.
Nanosatellites give the Authority full control of the data via the ground station at the Authority’s Research and Development Center at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is managed by Emirati operators with the highest levels of competence and training. Within the framework of the program, the authority launched two nanosatellites, “DewaSat-1” in January 2022 and “DewaSat-2” in April 2023.
The satellite is used to monitor the Authority’s assets in several cases, including power and frequency factors in low-voltage rooms, water pipe temperature, pressure, and flow rate to identify fault locations. Measurements of weather conditions such as air temperature, humidity, and air quality, in addition to power quality data at remote substations. In cooperation with the authority’s partners, seven scientific papers were published on use cases for the nanosatellite “DewaSat-1”, which contributed to enhancing knowledge in the field of direct communications with satellites using the long-range wireless communications protocol.