Yahsat, the UAE-based satellite operator, has announced a new training programme as part of its partnership with Orbital ATK Corporation, the manufacturers of Yahsat's third satellite, Al Yah 3.
Hosted in Dulles, Virginia, the programme will see 15 UAE national engineers from Yahsat work alongside top industry experts for a period of six months, at varying time periods during the satellites creation, on the design, development and build of Al Yah 3, set to be launched in Q4 2016.
Commenting on Yahsat's investment in the next generation of Emirati engineers, Mona Al Muhairi, Executive Director, Human Capital, Yahsat said: "This is an exceptional opportunity for national talent to gain first-hand experience into the manufacturing cycle of a technologically advanced satellite. In addition to furthering attendees' knowledge in the field of engineering and aerospace development, the programme will also provide employees with valuable insight into the latest satellite industry trends, paving the way for further career development.
"At Yahsat we are committed to creating a highly skilled workforce that is able to compete on the world stage – this programme is just one part of that mission,” concluded Mona, Executive Director, Human Capital, Yahsat.
Chris Richmond, VP and GM, Commercial Satellite Division, Orbital ATK Space Systems Group, added: "At Orbital ATK, we pride ourselves on being a partner you can count on. We are pleased to work side by side with Yahsat engineers and train them on what we consider to be the best engineering practices in our industry.
"We will demonstrate those capabilities to our Yahsat customer as we work to meet and exceed expectations on the design, development and build of Al Yah 3.”
Al Yah 3 will be an all Ka-band high throughput satellite, with a unique design that optimises cost, capacity, coverage and flexibility. It will enable delivery of affordable broadband, directly or indirectly to over 600 million users, specifically covering more than 95 per cent of the population in Brazil and 60 per cent of the population in Africa.
This is in line with Yahsat's goal to encourage social and economic development by providing people with a platform to access information, enabling them to enter the digital sharing stage as well as facilitate businesses to expand their network and help create jobs.