Orbitworks, the UAE’s next-generation satellite manufacturing venture, unveiled ‘Altair’, a 10-satellite, AI-enabled Earth observation fleet that will be assembled and integrated in Abu Dhabi.
The announcement, made at the ‘Make it in the Emirates’ event and marking Orbitworks’ inaugural satellite constellation, is a defining moment in the UAE’s journey towards sovereign space capabilities and industrial self-reliance.
Named after the Arabic al-nisr al-ṭāʾir (‘the flying eagle’), Altair symbolises vision and ascent and echoes exploration legacies across the Arabian skies.
Orbitworks is established by Marlan Space and Loft Orbital.
“Announcing Altair underscores our ambition to build the UAE’s future in space and anchor sovereign AI capabilities,” said Dr. Hamdullah Mohib, Acting CEO of Orbitworks and CEO of Marlan Space.
“Backed by national initiatives like ‘Make it in the Emirates‘ and ‘Operation 300bn‘, driving investment into over 1,000 priority industrial products including aerospace, defense, and AI, this is more than a manufacturing milestone,” he said.
Mohib said with Altair, the company is combining global aerospace expertise and local innovation to serve national priorities, and export satellite capacity at scale.
Production of the constellation is set to begin in the second half of 2025, with satellites commencing launch in 2026.
Each satellite is designed for performance and resilience, featuring a multi-sensor payload, including sub-meter optical, shortwave infrared, thermal, hyperspectral, and RF sensors, paired with edge computing for real-time, in-orbit data processing.
Built on Loft Orbital’s Longbow platform – which itself derives from the robust, flight-proven Airbus Arrow bus platform with over 650 missions in orbit – the satellites can perform orbital manoeuvres for up to eight years.
Altair supports critical applications from national security and disaster response to smart cities, agriculture, energy, and maritime surveillance, advancing public priorities and commercial innovation alike.
To bring the Altair constellation to life, Orbitworks will rely on its state-of-the-art production facility in Kezad, Abu Dhabi – the only facility in the region built for commercial scale.
With capacity to scale production up to 50 satellites annually, the facility positions the UAE to serve both domestic priorities and international satellite missions from a sovereign base.
