UK consultant nails project management contract months after opening UAE office

Clarke Bond has been appointed as project manager for the delivery of two ground satellite tracking stations in Abu Dhabi.

The engineering and management consultant, which opened an office in the UAE just months ago, will provide an on-site team to co-ordinate, manage and monitor the stations' construction.

David Harding, chief executive of the firm, said: “There are enormous challenges associated with any form of construction in the desert, let alone satellite tracking stations which will house delicate high-tech instrumentation under highly secure conditions.

“Ground temperatures of over 60º Celsius and frequent sandstorms are only some of the problems which we will need to overcome.”

The first satellite is scheduled for launch in the last quarter of 2010, and will provide the region with speed voice, data, video and internet connectivity solutions, as well as secure military satellite communication for clients in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and south-west Asia.

The ground stations will cover an area of approximately 15,000m2 and will house both technical and administrative buildings, along with supporting infrastructure, including a large number of antennae.

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