On December 20, with Russian help, Saudi Arabia will launch a spy satellite.

JEDDAH, Dec 9, SPA — Prince Turki bin Saud, supervisor of the Space Research Institute at King Abdul Aziz City of Science and Technology, announced yesterday that the Kingdom will launch its third satellite on Dec. 20 from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. Speaking to Al-Riyadh Arabic newspaper, the prince said the new satellite, made by Saudi engineers and scientists, will be different from the two satellites launched by the Kingdom earlier - Saudisat-A and Saudisat-B. A Russian military rocket launched the twosatellites, which orbit the earth at a height of 650 kilometers, fromBaikonur in September 2000. “The new satellite is equipped with a camera to take photos of moon,” the prince told the daily. Prince Turki has already left for Kazakhstan to take part in the launch ceremony. The new satellite is designed to collect vital data on weather and oil exploration as well as to monitor movement of vehicles in remote areas.