Emirati Royal-Linked Firm Invests Over $100M in Orbitworks, UAE's First Satellite Mass Production Venture

An Emirati royal family-affiliated holding company is investing over $100 million in a new joint venture between Abu Dhabi-based Marlan Space and startup Loft Orbital to enhance the region’s satellite manufacturing capabilities. The venture, named Orbitworks, is set to become the UAE's first commercial firm to mass-produce satellites, with Marlan Space holding a majority stake. Marlan Space is connected to the International Holding Company (IHC), which is predominantly controlled by the Royal Group, a conglomerate owned by Abu Dhabi's ruling family.

The UAE has ambitious goals in the space sector, backed by substantial financial resources. Despite its Space Agency (UAESA) being less than a decade old, the government has heavily invested in building domestic capabilities and forming global partnerships. The country achieved significant milestones, including sending its first astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2019 and launching a probe into Martian orbit two years later, joining a select group of nations with this capability.

The UAE’s space ecosystem comprises key players beyond the UAESA, such as Space42 (a merger of Yahsat and Bayanat), EDGE Group, and several universities and research institutions. The nation is now focused on deploying satellite constellations and bringing satellite manufacturing in-house.

Loft Orbital CEO Pierre-Damien Vaujour expressed long-standing interest in the UAE’s space sector, stating his intention to contribute to its ecosystem from the company's inception. Loft Orbital, based in San Francisco, specializes in buying satellite buses in bulk and managing payloads for clients. The company uses a standardized modular payload adapter to integrate customer hardware with spacecraft, handles launch integration, and operates the spacecraft once in orbit. Additionally, Loft Orbital offers "virtual missions," enabling customers to deploy applications in orbit using onboard sensors, computing, and cameras.

Source: Aria Alamalhodaei / TechCrunch