Space-D: Using Nano Satellites and IoT to Improve Utilities Operations and Maintenance

Bet you didn’t know that the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) had its own space programme? DEWA’s space programme, called “Space-D” was launched with the aim to improve the operations, maintenance and planning of its networks with the support of nanosatellite technology, Internet of Things (IoT), and remote sensing technologies. The program was launched in January 2021.

In January 2022, DEWA-SAT1, a nanosatellite in collaboration with NanoAvionics, was launched; this meant that DEWA became the world’s first utility player to use nanosatellites to improve maintenance and planning of electricity and water networks. The nanosatellite was designed and developed by DEWA’s Research and Development Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

NanoAvionics is a small satellite manufacturer and mission integrator, established in 2014 as a spin-off from Vilnius University in Lithuania. Today, the company has bases across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Lithuania and employs roughly 300 people. The company specializes in the production of small satellite buses and the development of commercial and scientific satellite missions. This includes enabling critical satellite functions and optimizing hardware, launch, and satellite operation costs by providing end-to-end small satellite solutions – ranging from single missions to constellations.

The satellites NanoAvionics produces range from about 10 to 220 kilograms in size, and the company expects to see the an expansion into building larger spacecrafts, as costs to build and launch them decline. The company worked on 66 small satellites in 2022 alone, and shipped 16 of them to customers in the same year. In 2023, NanoAvionics worked on 73 satellites and delivered 21. They’ve worked with over 140 customers globally, from major players such as NASA to the European Space Agency (ESA).

In its formative years, NanoAvionics managed to raise €14.6 million predominantly through grants to carry its development through to 2019-2020. The company was first sold in 2018, when Texas-based AST SpaceMobile acquired a controlling interest in NanoAvionics. AST SpaceMobile is a publicly traded satellite designer and manufacturer (Nasdaq: ASTS), best known for developing its space-based cellular broadband network to provide coverage in hard-to-cover areas.

In 2022, Norway’s Kongsberg Gruppen acquired a 77% stake in the company, and saw the divestment of AST SpaceMobile. Kongsberg Gruppen is a publicly traded technology group, which has been listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange since 1993, but has origins that date back to the early 1600s. Headquartered in Kongsberg, the company supplies high-technology systems to customers in the merchant marine, defense, aerospace, offshore oil and gas industries, and renewable and utilities industries.

DEWA’s versatile gateway can connect terrestrial sensors to satellites and ground networks. The gateway has various physical, operational technology (OT) connectivity and IoT edge protocol libraries to support the latest IoT communication networks like LoRa, Wi-Fi and BLE. The device is designed to suit various industrial applications such as utilities, infrastructure, asset-tracking, agriculture, smart cities, fleet management and others.

The device also has a long battery life to support various LoRa protocols and LoRaWAN to communicate directly with several satellites and terrestrial networks, which contributes to a significant reduction in device and operational costs.

The device was fully designed, fabricated and tested at DEWA’s R&D Centre and its enclosure was manufactured at the R&D labs using 3D printing.

DEWA also designed a second nanosatellite called the DEWA SAT-2, which is a 6U nanosatellite, to support the first satellite. DEWA uses the digital IoT platform hosted by its data centre operated by MORO hub, a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, the digital arm of DEWA, to enable the terrestrial IoT communications of the developed gateways and to visualize all collected data.

The program increases the efficiency and effectiveness of DEWA’s planning, operations and preventative maintenance for their production, transmission, and distribution divisions, as well as their smart grids and electric vehicle charging stations. It’s meant to reduce costs, improve asset use, and is meant to support the efficient transfer of knowledge and experience to the next generation of Emirati space experts.

In an effort to promote the Emiratization of space industries, DEWA’s Space-D programme also aims to train local Emirati professionals to use space technologies to enhance its electricity and water networks and take advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and blockchain to exchange information with the help of satellite communications and earth observation technologies.

In November 2023, DEWA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE Space Agency to enhance both parties’ positive role in developing the space sector. This is done through supporting research and development and contributing to regulations in the space field. The MoU will also support the agency’s Space Data Centre (SDC) by collaborating with Moro Hub.

The partnership marks a significant milestone towards exploring new possibilities in utilizing and analyzing data using AI and IoT, benefitting from DEWA’s smart services, and supporting the Space Data Centre, and is expected to contribute to developing advanced space applications that support and serve different sectors across the UAE.

Dive deeper into the innovations of Space-D and how DEWA is leading the way. Read and download the full special report here now to learn more.