EPI, the precision engineering backbone of the UAE’s aerospace and defence industry, has  joined forces with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), home to the UAE National Space Programme, to manufacture key components for its new satellite project MBZ-SAT.

 

The six-month-long project will see EPI producing 147 machined parts for MBRSC in addition to carrying out surface treatment and inspection services.

 

Named after HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, MBZ-SAT will be the most advanced commercial satellite in the region in the field of high-resolution satellite imagery and is expected to be launched in 2023.

 

The synergy with EPI is well aligned with MBRSC’s mandate to engage companies in the UAE in building a local hub for space-related manufacturers and to enhance the sustainability of the national space sector in the country. 

 

In 2018, EPI was involved with MBRSC in the industrialisation phase of machining metallic components for Emirates Mars Mission project.

 

On the tieup, CEO Christian Ziehe said: "This alliance reinforces the value of leveraging local capabilities to shape an ecosystem dedicated to manufacturing space-related technology and systems. For EPI, it serves as a unique opportunity to grow the company’s expertise in the space manufacturing field, and further diversify our operations."

 

"We are proud to be entrusted once again with supporting the UAE's wider space ambitions," he added.

 

EPI manufactures complex engineering components for the defence, aerospace, and oil and gas (O&G) sectors and is equipped with advanced capabilities and cutting tools to carry out manufacturing engineering, machining, surface treatment, coating, repairing, and assemblies. 

 

The company is part of the Mission Support cluster within Edge, an advanced technology group for defence and beyond.

 

"MBRSC’s strategic collaboration with local companies in the UAE, to manufacture and supply the components necessary for the development of MBZ-SAT, will help enhance the sustainability of the national space industry in the UAE," said Amer AlGhafri, Senior Director of the Space Engineering Department and Project Manager of MBZ-SAT at MBRSC.

 

"Our goal is to further strengthen the regional space sector by leveraging partnerships that will support the development of MBRSC’s commercial activity through the creation of innovative new space technologies," he added.