Tech UAE merger creates world’s most valuable listed space company The world’s most valuable publicly listed space company has been created after shareholders of analytics provider Bayanat and “satellite solutions” company Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) agreed to a merger. The deal will help to further Abu Dhabi’s ambitions to be at the centre of the drive towards autonomous vehicles. The newly created Space42 […] April 26, 2024
Tech Shareholders to vote on merger to create UAE space giant Shareholders of two Abu Dhabi technology companies will vote on Thursday on a proposed merger to create a $4 billion space organisation. Bayanat AI and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, better known as Yahsat, will hold their general assembly meetings simultaneously. The proposed merger will create Space42, an AI-powered space technology champion for the Middle […] April 24, 2024
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
Sustainability Spacecraft that spots Gulf gases wins extra funding A Bahraini-British project to develop a spacecraft that will monitor Gulf greenhouse gas emissions from space has been awarded a further £1.4 million ($1.8 million) grant by the UK Space Agency. The partnership between the Bahrain National Space Science Agency, YBA Kanoo Group in Manama, and the University of Leicester and Geospatial Insight of Birmingham […] April 10, 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
Analysis Tech Saudi Arabia ‘leads GCC’ in adoption of robotics The rising number of robotics companies in Saudi Arabia has helped the kingdom become a regional leader in the adoption and development of the technology, experts have told AGBI. The number of robotics companies registered in the country surged to 2,344 in the second quarter of 2023, up from 1,537 a year earlier, according to […] March 14, 2024
Tech Oman’s growing space sector attracts $52m in investments Oman has attracted investments worth OMR20 million ($52 million) in its growing space sector over the past two years, a senior government official said. The investments have increased after the issuance of the executive space programme last year, Dr. Ali Al Shidhani, under-secretary of communications and IT at the ministry of transport, communications, and information […] March 8, 2024
Tech Saudi Arabia backs tech startup sector with $888m Saudi Arabia has announced investments worth $888 million to support the local tech startup and venture capital sector. The funds will support industries such as digital payments, e-gaming and artificial intelligence (AI). The announcement was made on the second day of the Leap international technology conference taking place this week in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has […] March 6, 2024
Tech Yahsat 2023 profit rises to $116m on revenue growth Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, known as Yahsat, said net income grew 9 percent to AED424 million ($116 million) in 2023, driven by revenue growth across all operating segments. Revenue grew 6 percent year on year to AED1.7 billion, with all four operating segments exceeding the top end of the previous guidance range of AED1.6-1.7 billion. […] March 6, 2024
Tech US-Saudi venture will use AI to analyse space data A US-Saudi joint venture has been launched in the kingdom to use satellite imagery to monitor infrastructure development, traffic congestion and carbon sequestration, the natural process of CO2 storage in the atmosphere. Front End Limited Company, based in Alkobar, the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and SpaceKnow, a New York technology company dedicated to transforming […] February 20, 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
Finance Middle East cash injection to propel space industry to $75bn The value of the Middle East space sector is expected to hit $75 billion by 2032, and a new report predicts that spending will increase by 92 percent over the next decade. The region’s space economy has trebled in 10 years to reach an estimated $25 billion in 2023, according to the white paper published […] January 16, 2024
Tech UAE partners with Nasa to develop lunar space station The UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Nasa have agreed to collaborate on the Gateway project, the world’s first space station to orbit the moon. As part of the agreement, MBRSC will provide Gateway’s Crew and Science Airlock module. The US state space agency will fly a UAE astronaut to Gateway in a […] January 8, 2024
Tech Merger to create astronomic UAE space company Two Abu Dhabi technology companies are planning a merger to create a $4 billion space organisation for the region. The boards of Bayanat and Yahsat have voted to recommend a merger to shareholders, a filing to the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange on Tuesday revealed. The proposal will create a company with an implied market capitalisation […] December 19, 2023
Video length: 06:07 Video Sustainability Space data joins the battle against greenwashing Space data is a vital tool for measuring decarbonisation and preventing greenwashing, an industry expert has told AGBI at the Cop28 conference in Dubai. “There is no other way to monitor [decarbonisation and carbon credits] at that scale if it wasn’t for Earth observation data,” said David Merren, assistant director for analytics and spatial at […] December 12, 2023
Tech UAE takes next step in developing satellite industry The Crown Princes of Abu Dhabi and Dubai have launched the execution phase of the UAE’s Sirb satellite programme, which aims to commercialise satellites and the data they generate. Sirb – Arabic for a flock of birds – consists of a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites. Highly accurate, the satellites will support a wide […] November 21, 2023
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
Tech Elon Musk’s Starlink applies for Turkey licence SpaceX’s satellite internet venture Starlink has applied for a licence in Turkey after a meeting in the US between its founder Elon Musk and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Turkey’s deputy transport and infrastructure minister, confirmed that the application has been filed. “Starlink, which offers low Earth orbit satellite services, expressed their desire to operate […] September 25, 2023
Manufacturing Dubai 3D factory muscles in on aviation sector A new 3D printing facility in Dubai, certified to produce airplane components, is anticipated to cut into a portion of traditional global aviation manufacturers and maintenance hubs. Paradigm 3D has invested AED20 million ($5.5 million) to establish a factory using technology from Stratasys, an American-Israeli maker of industrial 3D printers that are used by industry […] September 22, 2023
Industry Yahsat bags $5.1bn contract from UAE government Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) has won an AED18.7 billion ($5.1 billion) contract from the UAE government to provide satellite capacity and managed services for 17 years. The contract, for its government services arm, Yahsat Government Solutions, includes related operations, maintenance and technology management services of ground segment satellite systems and terminals currently provided […] September 22, 2023
Tech Space tech company launches Dubai HQ and listings plan A US space tech company is setting up a regional headquarters in Dubai. Orion Applied Sciences and Technology (OrionAST), a global provider of high-resolution satellite data, is establishing a base in Dubai Silicon Oasis and intends to list its shares on Dubai Financial Market. The company has also launched a subsidiary, Open Skies Industries, to […] August 22, 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
