The UAE has placed its first commercial satellite in orbit. Altair-1, built in Abu Dhabi and integrated by Loft Orbital, launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 11:32 a.m. PT / GST.
The satellite deployed successfully, acquired a signal and is now in commissioning.
Altair-1 is the first of ten satellites that will form the Altair constellation, the country's first commercial, AI-enabled Earth observation network. It was designed, assembled and tested at the Orbitworks facility in Abu Dhabi before being flown to California in August. The remaining nine will follow through 2027.
Each satellite carries five sensors covering optical, shortwave infrared, thermal, hyperspectral and radio frequency data. Onboard NVIDIA GPUs turn that data into analysis-ready intelligence within minutes rather than hours. At full strength, the constellation will revisit any point on Earth roughly every four hours, supporting disaster response, maritime awareness, environmental monitoring and national security.
Orbitworks is a joint venture between Marlan Space and Loft Orbital. Its 50,000-square-foot KEZAD facility, inaugurated in November 2025, can produce up to 50 satellites a year.
Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Chairman of the UAE Space Agency, said the launch reflects the strength of the national space ecosystem and supports the goal of ranking among the world's ten leading space economies by 2031.
"The UAE is no longer only a buyer of space capability; it is a builder of it,"
said Dr Hamdullah Mohib, CEO of Orbitworks.
Customers can own a satellite and its data or access the capability as a service. Anchor clients include French government entities, the Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. On September 9, Marlan Space and Loft Orbital also announced a US$1 billion consortium to build a 50-satellite AI infrastructure.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
