UAE-based Orbitworks will manufacture the first 50 satellites for Altair-Next Gen, a $1 billion artificial intelligence satellite infrastructure project being developed in France.
Orbitworks will produce the satellites at its facility in Kezad, Abu Dhabi, according to the state-run Wam news agency. The company was established in 2024 as a joint venture between Marlan Space, the space investment arm of Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company, and US space infrastructure company Loft Orbital.
Marlan Space and Loft Orbital are leading the consortium behind the project, which is expected to include satellites equipped with radar, optical and other sensors. The network will serve French, European and UAE governments, along with commercial and sovereign customers worldwide.
Altair-Next Gen is expected to support maritime monitoring, wildfire detection, disaster response, and the protection of ports and critical infrastructure. Its satellites will analyse observations in orbit and transmit detected events rather than raw imagery.
The agreement was signed at the International Space Summit in Paris in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron. Loft Orbital, which operates more than 100 payloads and 20 AI missions in orbit, will contribute technology, products and operational expertise.
Source: AGBI
