Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (DUBAI)
Beneath the spectacle of military displays and commercial aircraft deals, the Dubai Airshow 2025 is spotlighting a growing ecosystem of local players who are turning national ambitions into market-ready solutions and engineering the muscle needed to build high-tech industries at home.
Orbitworks, a satellite manufacturing venture created by Abu Dhabi’s Marlan Space and California-based Loft Orbital, announced the opening of its Assembly, Integration and Testing (AIT) facility in KEZAD last week.
In an interview with Aletihad at the Dubai Airshow, Salim Al Alawi, Director of Business Development at Orbitworks, said the company aims to position the UAE at the centre of the global satellite supply chain by enabling large-volume manufacturing on home soil.
Its 3,000-sq-ft site – half of it a cleanroom with ISO 8 conditions and an ISO 5 integration tent – can produce up to 50 satellites a year, roughly one per week.
The company’s first planned constellation, Altair, will feature multi-sensor, AI-enabled satellites designed to consolidate multiple capabilities onto a single platform.
Al Alawi explained that the design philosophy moves away from traditional mission architectures in which each satellite performs only one function. Instead, Orbitworks aims to enable multiple sensors and capabilities on a single platform; higher revisit frequency with richer data; and on-orbit AI computing for actionable insights.
“We are rethinking the way satellites are built,” he said. “AI applications tailored to specific mission needs — whether defence, maritime, energy, agriculture or civil applications — can run in orbit using the sensor suite on board.”
The company also sees itself as a bridge for emerging markets, reducing long lead times and providing access to commercial-grade space systems to countries historically limited by export restrictions, supply chain bottlenecks, or cost barriers, Al Alawi said.
Ensuring Energy Resilience Without Batteries
Elsewhere at the airshow, Abu Dhabi-based Al Masaood Power showcased another innovation aimed at supporting the UAE’s critical infrastructure: the mtu Kinetic PowerPack (KPP).
Designed for mission-critical environments such as airports, air-traffic control systems, data centres, hospitals and industrial operations, the system provides uninterrupted, “perfectly conditioned” power without relying on batteries.
Unlike traditional backup systems, which require batteries to maintain supply until generators activate, the KPP uses a constantly rotating flywheel to store kinetic energy, General Manager Rasso Bartenschlager told Aletihad.
When the grid drops or voltage fluctuates, the flywheel instantly delivers power while the engine accelerates to take over ensuring continuity down to the millisecond.
Bartenschlager said growing electrification, fast-charging systems, and renewable inputs are placing more pressure on the grid, increasing the need for systems that keep power stable at all times.
“With digitalisation and smart systems, high-quality power is more important than ever. This solution ensures resilience while reducing footprint and lifecycle waste compared to large battery banks,” he said.
Both companies attribute their progress in part to the UAE’s environment for innovation, defined by clear industrial ambitions, public-private cooperation, and an ecosystem that encourages scaling for export as much as local use.
Building the Workforce Behind the Technology
These industry players are also committed to another pillar of the UAE’s development journey: nurturing local expertise.
Al Masaood sees advanced engineering as an opportunity to deepen industrial know-how among Emiratis.
The company runs a two-year mechatronics development programme, training young Emirati engineers in both electrical and mechanical systems across multiple application areas including stationary power, shipping and rail.
“Emiratisation is a key part of our development,” Bartenschlager said. Now in its fourth year, the programme has produced 10 engineers, many of whom remain with the company and are advancing into roles in supervision, sales engineering, and service management.
Orbitworks is hiring from the domestic space ecosystem and has hosted trainees from the UAE Space Agency’s Space Academy programme at its facility in Abu Dhabi, Al Alawi said.
“Space independence, job creation, private-sector engagement and attracting global expertise; Orbitworks is ticking all these boxes,” he said.
Beyond recruitment, engineers from NASA and other leading institutions are embedded within the team at Orbitworks to accelerate knowledge transfer.
