UAE's Orbitworks lands CNES contract for Altair private satellite constellation
Orbitworks secured a capacity deal with France's CNES for its upcoming Altair satellite constellation, marking a key milestone for the UAE's commercial space push.
Abu Dhabi-based Orbitworks announced that the French space agency CNES will purchase capacity on its planned Altair constellation of AI-driven Earth-observation satellites. The first satellite, recently delivered to Los Angeles aboard an Emirates flight, is slated for launch in October, with nine more to follow within a year from the Abu Dhabi plant. The agreement highlights the rapid expansion of the UAE’s privately-run space sector after earlier government-funded missions such as the Arab astronaut flight and the Hope Mars probe.
Why it matters
The deal shows the UAE's emerging private space industry gaining international customers and credibility.
In this story
