SADEQ ALKHOORI, BATOOL GHAITH (ABU DHABI)
For years, the UAE's space story was told through launches. An astronaut floating above Earth. A probe reaching Mars. A lunar rover preparing for the Moon. These were the moments that made the sector visible to the public and gave the country a reputation for moving quickly in a field long associated with larger powers and older institutions.
The first phase of the UAE's rise in space was built on confidence, with the Hope Probe demonstrating the country's ability to deliver a deep-space mission. Then Hazza Al Mansoori, the first UAE astronaut, gave the sector something different: visibility, public legitimacy and a reason for younger Emiratis to imagine themselves inside the industry.
Today, the story is being assembled on factory floors in Abu Dhabi, inside satellite testing facilities, and through export contracts with foreign governments. The UAE Space Agency puts the national space sector at about Dh40 billion, with local companies accounting for more than Dh10.9 billion, or 40.7%, of that output.
Commercial spending, meanwhile, rose 29.51% year on year. Space in the UAE has now become a booming global industry.
From National Milestones to Technical Depth
In an interview with Aletihad, Al Mansoori said that the country's space manufacturing journey had moved from symbolic participation to direct technical contribution.
On his 2019 flight aboard the International Space Station, he carried the Holy Quran, prayer beads and Emirati food to share with fellow astronauts. His colleague Sultan Al Neyadi took a notebook to record observations during his own mission.
Now, the nature of what the UAE sends to space has changed "from sharing food to manufacturing electronic boxes".
According to Al Mansoori, UAE-made items linked to space missions now range from electronic boxes used in MBZ-SAT to cables, PHI-1 components and flown items carried during Zayed's Ambition 1 and Zayed's Ambition 2.
"In future missions, we are working on sending different electronics, systems and equipment that will be part of human spaceflight," the astronaut added.
At Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), the progression from proving presence to building capability is visible mission by mission. The Centre has worked on Earth observation satellites, the UAE Astronaut Programme, lunar missions and deep-space projects, giving Emirati engineers more hands-on experience in design, manufacturing, testing and mission operations.
That experience is now showing up in the next space milestone - Rashid Rover 2. Salem Al Mulla, a mechanical engineer on the Emirates Lunar Mission, said that Rashid Rover 2 is set to launch aboard Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander at the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027.
"Rashid Rover 2 will help in successfully reaching the strategic goals of the UAE in the space industry," he told Aletihad.
According to Al Mulla, the rover will land on the far side of the Moon and carry several sensors, including a primary navigation camera and a backup in case of failure.
The industrial base around those missions is also growing.
In a recent statement, MBRSC said that MBZ-SAT - the region's most advanced satellite - was fully built by Emirati engineers, and sourced 90% of its mechanical components and a large share of its electronic systems from local companies. The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt followed a similar model, with 50% of the work being allocated to UAE-based private companies.
Building the Ecosystem Around Space
The UAE Space Agency has been building the legal, business and diplomatic layer around that technical growth. Established in 2014, the agency has operated more quietly than the missions it supports, but its role is now expanding.
On the diplomatic front, the UAE handed over the chairmanship of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in June 2024 after a two-year term. During that period, the agency promoted fair and peaceful access to space, took part in the UN Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities and used forums such as the Abu Dhabi Space Debate to widen the conversation beyond government agencies, bringing private companies and emerging space nations into debates that are increasingly tied to regulation, safety and commercial activity.
The same agency-led approach is now being applied to the business side of the sector. Among the agency's key initiatives is the Space Economic Zones programme, which was created to help space companies set up, operate and grow in the UAE.
Ahmed Saif Aldarei, Specialist in Space Policy and Legislation at the UAE Space Agency, told Aletihad that the programme was designed to help entrepreneurs turn ideas into operating businesses.
"For example, entrepreneurs, they have an idea. They graduate from universities. But how can they translate this idea into reality?" he said.
"This is where we come in - this is our role. We [guide] them step by step."
The programme connects start-ups and SMEs with support on licensing, facilities, workspaces, regulation and access to the wider space sector, turning the country's space ambitions into a more practical business ecosystem.
As part of the programme, the UAE Space Agency and Masdar also announced a package in Masdar City aimed at attracting start-ups and SMEs through incubation, discounted office space, licensing support and flexible visa options.
"They can count on us to eliminate all the hurdles when it comes to, for example, legislation and where to establish. We have a list of partners, reliable partners, here in the UAE and different emirates," Al Darei explained.
He added that the sector now reaches far beyond rockets and satellites. Companies can launch satellites, collect and own data, use it commercially and sell it, while other parts of the industry connect directly with AI, precision manufacturing and 3D printing.
"One thing about the space industry, it's not only focusing on aerospace - it intersects with a lot of industries," Aldarei said.
"Space economy has become a very important part of the national economy here in the UAE."
Selling Capability, Not Just Building It
The UAE is also beginning to export what it builds. Orbitworks, an Abu Dhabi-based satellite venture, has already secured an international customer after France purchased 20% of the capacity on its Altair constellation, as previously reported by Aletihad. Space42, meanwhile, is building an operation that spans the full chain from manufacturing to data delivery.
According to Hasan Al Hosani, CEO of Smart Solutions at Space42, the next phase of the UAE's space sector is about building the systems, data platforms and decision-making tools that turn space assets into commercial and operational services.
"Sovereign capability in space is derived from owning the infrastructure, data, partnerships and decision systems that national resilience depends on. It is the difference between accessing space technologies and having the authority, expertise and industrial ability to shape how solutions are built, operated and applied," he told Aletihad.
Space42 now carries out assembly, integration and testing in the UAE, including the successful integration and testing of the Foresight-3, Foresight-4 and Foresight-5 satellites in Abu Dhabi. In a 2025 announcement, the company described the emirate as the site of the region's first Earth observation satellite manufacturing hub, localising the design, assembly and testing of commercial SAR satellites.
Once in orbit, those satellites provide secure all-weather, day-and-night imaging through the company's Foresight SAR constellation. The data is processed through GIQ, the company's AI-powered geospatial intelligence platform, to support faster decision-making across government and industry.
Its subsidiary Mira Aerospace is contributing to that model by developing and locally producing High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) to sit between satellites and terrestrial networks, adding continuity, situational awareness and responsive coverage.
Space42 is alsoapplying the same logic to autonomous mobility, where space data, AI and digital infrastructure meet on the ground. Through TXAI, the company has completed more than 20,000 autonomous passenger trips covering more than 600,000 kilometres across Abu Dhabi without accidents, according to Al Hosani.
The company is also developing the UAE's first Sovereign Mobility Cloud in partnership with Core42 and Microsoft Azure, while also working with e& on vehicle-to-everything connectivity solutions.
For Space42, the long-term opportunity is a connected sovereign mobility platform where infrastructure, vehicles and data operate together within supportive regulatory systems. Al Hosani pointed out that this model depends on maintaining control at home while working with the best partners abroad.
"That is the model Space42 is building from the UAE, sovereign in control, global in ambition, and deliberate in how we generate economic and operational value from space technology."