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ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Marlan Space and Loft Orbital are leading a global consortium investing $1 billion in France to build a constellation of 50 artificial intelligence-enabled satellites, a statement said.
The Altair-Next Gen project was announced and signed at the International Space Summit in Paris on Wednesday in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron.
The project will combine optical, radar and other advanced sensors with onboard computing and continuous connectivity. The satellites will use AI to analyse what they observe while in orbit and transmit alerts about detected events within seconds, rather than sending raw images to Earth for processing, the statement said.
Conventional satellite systems can take hours to download and process data on the ground. With a constellation of 50 satellites, the project aims to ensure that a satellite is always close to an unfolding event, enabling users to receive information while there is still time to respond.
The first 10 satellites are already in production in Abu Dhabi, while the first AI-enabled satellite is scheduled for launch in October, according to the statement.
The infrastructure will initially serve government users in France, elsewhere in Europe and the UAE, alongside commercial and sovereign customers globally. Its first applications will include maritime surveillance, wildfire detection, disaster response and the protection of ports and critical infrastructure.
Services will be offered through an AI application store, allowing customers to select models from different providers and run them aboard shared satellites. This arrangement will enable a single constellation to support several programmes simultaneously.
The satellite infrastructure will be held through a dedicated French company, combining Emirati investment and manufacturing capabilities with Europe’s aerospace supply chain and space sector expertise, the statement said.
The satellites will be produced by Orbitworks at its manufacturing facility in Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi. The facility, described in the statement as the region’s largest high-volume production site for commercial satellite constellations, also houses satellite operations.
Orbitworks was established in 2024 as a joint venture between Marlan Space and US-based Loft Orbital. It designs, manufactures, tests and operates satellite systems from Abu Dhabi.
The announcement follows IHC’s agreement, disclosed on September 8, to acquire an 80% stake in Marlan Space. The transaction remains subject to the relevant approvals.
Syed Basar Shueb, chief executive officer of IHC, said Altair-Next Gen brought together advanced satellite infrastructure, AI, sovereign capabilities and international partners.
“This investment positions the UAE and France at the forefront of a rapidly evolving space economy,” Shueb said, adding that it demonstrated how IHC could combine capital, technology and global partnerships to develop platforms with long-term strategic and commercial value.
Dr Hamdullah Mohib, chief executive officer of Marlan Space and Orbitworks, said the programme reflected the movement of intelligence and data processing into orbit.
“Fifty satellites, in groups with different capabilities working as one system, make this one of the most advanced constellations in the world,” Mohib said.
He added that the programme would help turn the UAE from a buyer into a provider of satellite services, while building engineering skills, intellectual property and a domestic supply chain.
Loft Orbital will provide technology and operational expertise covering satellite platforms, onboard AI, mission software, deployment and constellation operations. The company currently operates more than 100 payloads and 20 AI missions in orbit, the statement said.
Working with Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Loft Orbital previously demonstrated a satellite capable of running a vision-language model onboard, understanding images and receiving instructions in natural language.
Pierre-Damien Vaujour, chief executive officer of Loft Orbital, said the constellation would provide infrastructure for partners developing “agentic AI workflows” in space.
“I am excited to see the first of those satellites, built in Abu Dhabi, launch in the next few weeks and to start deploying solutions that have never been possible in the space industry,” Vaujour said.
French AI company Mistral will supply AI models that will operate onboard the satellites alongside their sensors. The technology is intended to allow the constellation to interpret observations, respond to natural-language instructions and support services offered through the application store.
US-based BlackSky will provide very-high-resolution optical satellites for the programme and invest in France as part of its participation. Additional European aerospace and AI companies are expected to be announced later this year.
Brian O’Toole, chief executive officer of BlackSky, said the company had been selected as a key partner and the programme’s provider of very-high-resolution optical capabilities.
French launch company MaiaSpace has been selected as the project’s preferred launch partner once its services become commercially available, the statement added.
