Tech Yahsat taps Musk’s SpaceX for next satellite launches By Megha Merani July 1, 2024, 10:15 AM Alamy/Brandon Moser A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes off from Cape Canaveral in Florida with a payload of satellites Two launches planned for 2027 and 2028 Part of a $1.1bn satellite procurement programme Replacements for satellites launched in 2011/2 The UAE’s satellite provider Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) has chosen Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to launch its next-generation geostationary satellites, Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5. The two communications satellites are due to be launched into orbit in 2027 and 2028 respectively. Under the deal – part of an AED3.9 billion ($1.1 billion) satellite procurement programme – SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deploy the satellites, Yahsat said on Monday. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week Last month Yahsat signed a contract with Airbus to design and build the Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 satellites based on the Eurostar Neo platform. The project is a central component of an AED18.7 billion mandate from the UAE government, awarded in 2023, to provide satellite communications and managed services over 17 years. Yahsat introduces smartphone to satellite connectivity UAE takes next step in developing satellite industry Shareholders to vote on merger to create UAE space giant Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 are due to replace the older Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 satellites, launched in 2011 and 2012. Last week Nasa awarded SpaceX up to $843 million to crash the International Space Station into the ocean, pushing it safely out of orbit and back to Earth. The space station is nearing the end of its operational life. SpaceX plans to sell insider shares at $112 each, raising the company’s valuation to approximately $210 billion, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. A December tender offer that valued SpaceX at $180 billion. SpaceX, the world’s largest satellite operator, has launched nearly 6,000 Starlink satellites so far, with plans for a constellation of 12,000, and a possible extension to 42,000 satellites.
Mining Ma’aden signs $1bn contracts to develop industrial cities Saudi mineral giant Ma’aden has signed three contracts worth a combined $922 million with foreign companies to develop a third phosphate fertiliser project. The majority state-owned Saudi mining company announced the agreements in a note to the Saudi bourse on Thursday, coinciding with the final day of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh. Ma’aden is […] 4 hours ago
Tax $660m a year ‘sin tax’ target set by Kuwait Kuwait hopes to raise 200 million dinars ($660 million) a year through a “sin tax” on unhealthy products as part of tax reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday. Noora Al-Fassam told the official Kuwaiti news agency that her ministry was working on a new law for a […] 4 hours ago
Transport Tenders issued for high speed Abu Dhabi-Dubai rail link Tenders have been issued for the design and construction of central components in a high-speed rail link between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Etihad Rail, the national rail company of the UAE, has sent out tenders for designing and constructing civil works and station packages for the line connecting the two cities as part of the […] 5 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE Aviation Wizz Air increases flights from UAE to Israel after ceasefire The budget carrier Wizz Air is increasing the number of flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The airline had previously scaled back its Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi service to four flights a week because of the conflict, down from its pre-crisis schedule of two flights a day. […] 6 hours ago
