Company Insights Saudi Space Agency Space Saudi Space Agency Overview Created in 2018 by royal order as the Saudi Space Commission, and elevated to an agency in 2023, the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) is an independent Saudi government agency. Its stated aims are developing space science and technology and the peaceful use of space industries and technologies, particularly in the satellite sector. In 2023 the SSA partnered with private US spaceflight company Axiom Space to send two Saudi astronauts, Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi – the first Saudi woman in space – to the International Space Station, where they stayed for nine days. In June 2024 the Saudi government signed a framework agreement with the US government and Nasa to cooperate on space exploration, science and related fields. Saudi Space Agency News Analysis Tech Space trash offers Saudi Arabia a new revenue source Saudi Arabia is targeting lucrative and environmentally critical opportunities in the rubbish removal sector – in outer space. More than 27,000 man-made objects larger than 10 centimetres, such as defunct satellites and spent rocket stages, orbit Earth, according to Nasa. This space debris puts at stake billions of dollars of assets such as spacecraft and […] April 16, 2024 Tourism Saudi Arabia plans tourist flights into the stratosphere From 2026, well-heeled tourists in Saudi Arabia will be able to book a day trip that is out of this world: a near-space flight priced at $164,000 per person. Halo Space, a Madrid-based company that is developing a craft for flights into the Earth’s stratosphere, has chosen the kingdom as one of its departure bases […] March 21, 2024 Tech Saudi CubeSats could send green monitoring into orbit Saudi Arabia plans to launch two nanosatellites – also known as CubeSats – per year to help with environmental issues such as finding water and locating oil spills. These will also play a security role in monitoring the large territory, a space cybersecurity expert said at a Saudi defence forum. CubeSats – low-altitude, cheap-to-produce microsatellites […] February 12, 2024 Industry Aspace granted licence to build satellite facility in Saudi Arabia Hong Kong-based Aerospace Technology Group Limited (Aspace) will invest SAR1 billion ($266.58 million) to set up an advanced satellite manufacturing company in Saudi Arabia after being granted the first investment licence in the space sector. The facility will manufacture components, subsystems and satellites, state-owned Saudi Press Agency reported. Abdullah Al-Swaha, chairman of the Saudi Space […] October 26, 2023 Finance Saudi investor leads $350m funding for US space company An investment firm from Saudi Arabia has led a $350 million funding round for Axiom Space, three months after the US company took the kingdom’s first astronauts to the International Space Station. Axiom Space said the Series-C funding round was led by Saudi Arabia’s Aljazira Capital and South Korean healthcare firm Boryung, taking its total […] August 22, 2023 Analysis Tech Saudi Arabia signals intent with space sector shake-up The launch of the Saudi Space Agency puts the kingdom on a trajectory to become one of the biggest players in the global space race, experts say. The agency has replaced the Saudi Space Commission and will focus on space science and exploratory missions, creating new opportunities and, according to its website, “empowering national cadres […] July 7, 2023 Kuwait forays into space with first satellite launch Kuwait’s first satellite, ‘KuwaitSat-1’, was successfully launched into space onboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral, state-owned Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported. The project, which has been in the works for three years, was undertaken by Kuwait University and funded by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences. It comes as GCC […] January 4, 2023 Analysis Space tech gives Gulf nations a launchpad for local talent Saudi Arabia aims to emulate UAE’s success In 1985, Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, a former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot, became the first Arab to go into space, flying aboard a US Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist. He was appointed chairman of the Saudi Space Commission in 2018 and although he […] June 13, 2022 Posts navigation
Analysis Tech Space trash offers Saudi Arabia a new revenue source Saudi Arabia is targeting lucrative and environmentally critical opportunities in the rubbish removal sector – in outer space. More than 27,000 man-made objects larger than 10 centimetres, such as defunct satellites and spent rocket stages, orbit Earth, according to Nasa. This space debris puts at stake billions of dollars of assets such as spacecraft and […] April 16, 2024
Tourism Saudi Arabia plans tourist flights into the stratosphere From 2026, well-heeled tourists in Saudi Arabia will be able to book a day trip that is out of this world: a near-space flight priced at $164,000 per person. Halo Space, a Madrid-based company that is developing a craft for flights into the Earth’s stratosphere, has chosen the kingdom as one of its departure bases […] March 21, 2024
Tech Saudi CubeSats could send green monitoring into orbit Saudi Arabia plans to launch two nanosatellites – also known as CubeSats – per year to help with environmental issues such as finding water and locating oil spills. These will also play a security role in monitoring the large territory, a space cybersecurity expert said at a Saudi defence forum. CubeSats – low-altitude, cheap-to-produce microsatellites […] February 12, 2024
Industry Aspace granted licence to build satellite facility in Saudi Arabia Hong Kong-based Aerospace Technology Group Limited (Aspace) will invest SAR1 billion ($266.58 million) to set up an advanced satellite manufacturing company in Saudi Arabia after being granted the first investment licence in the space sector. The facility will manufacture components, subsystems and satellites, state-owned Saudi Press Agency reported. Abdullah Al-Swaha, chairman of the Saudi Space […] October 26, 2023
Finance Saudi investor leads $350m funding for US space company An investment firm from Saudi Arabia has led a $350 million funding round for Axiom Space, three months after the US company took the kingdom’s first astronauts to the International Space Station. Axiom Space said the Series-C funding round was led by Saudi Arabia’s Aljazira Capital and South Korean healthcare firm Boryung, taking its total […] August 22, 2023
Analysis Tech Saudi Arabia signals intent with space sector shake-up The launch of the Saudi Space Agency puts the kingdom on a trajectory to become one of the biggest players in the global space race, experts say. The agency has replaced the Saudi Space Commission and will focus on space science and exploratory missions, creating new opportunities and, according to its website, “empowering national cadres […] July 7, 2023
Kuwait forays into space with first satellite launch Kuwait’s first satellite, ‘KuwaitSat-1’, was successfully launched into space onboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral, state-owned Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported. The project, which has been in the works for three years, was undertaken by Kuwait University and funded by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences. It comes as GCC […] January 4, 2023
Analysis Space tech gives Gulf nations a launchpad for local talent Saudi Arabia aims to emulate UAE’s success In 1985, Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, a former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot, became the first Arab to go into space, flying aboard a US Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist. He was appointed chairman of the Saudi Space Commission in 2018 and although he […] June 13, 2022
