Nolan’s Notes: Finding Your Sweet Spot
Standard of Excellence: Delivering Excellence—A Daily Goal
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Tin Whisker Mitigation in Aerospace Applications, Part 3
Loft Orbital and Marlan Space Join Forces to Create First Satellite Production Company in the Middle East
August 26, 2024 | BUSINESS WIREEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Abu Dhabi-based Marlan Space, a new space company affiliated with International Holding Company (IHC), has established a joint venture with Loft Orbital to form Orbitworks, the Middle East’s first private space infrastructure company.
Orbitworks marks a significant milestone in the UAE’s rapidly growing space sector, becoming the first to produce commercial low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. With an initial investment of over $100 million, Orbitworks aims to produce up to fifty 500 kg satellites annually. Loft Orbital, established in 2017, brings extensive expertise, technology, and a strong reputation to the venture, supporting a wide range of missions across telecommunications, earth observation, and scientific research.
Orbitworks is set to begin construction of a state-of-the-art facility that will employ advanced hardware, software and industrial technologies for integration and test of satellites.
Orbitworks has secured components for its first ten satellites, the first of which could be launched as early as the first quarter of 2026. Orbitworks will help Loft Orbital further its vision of flying any payload for any customer in the shortest time to orbit.
Orbitworks aims to partner with local component manufacturers and technology providers in the UAE, leveraging Loft’s solutions for seamless technology integration.
The first satellite platform is expected to be assembled, integrated, and tested by early 2025. Loft and Marlan have begun recruiting talent both internationally and within the UAE, focusing on hardware, software, test engineering, and other aerospace engineering disciplines.
The UAE has built one of the most advanced AI ecosystems globally, and Orbitworks will collaborate with AI companies and research organizations by providing them with a simple pathway to deploy their apps to orbit.
Pierre-Damien Vaujour, CEO of Loft Orbital, commented, “We have long believed in the dynamism and growth of the UAE’s space sector, and we are proud to be playing a small part in the country’s journey to becoming a space powerhouse. From the moment we first met with Marlan Space, we were excited about their vision for bringing scaled production and operations of LEO satellite constellations to the UAE. We are thrilled to support and partner with all players in the country’s space, satellite, cloud, and AI industries."
Share on:
Suggested Items
Green Circuits to Exhibit Full-Service Electronics Manufacturing Solutions at 2025 SMD Symposium
07/02/2025 | Green CircuitsGreen Circuits, a full-service Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) partner to leading OEMs, is pleased to announce its participation in the 2025 SMD Symposium, taking place August 5-7 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Lockheed Martin Completes Acquisition of Amentum’s Rapid Solutions Portfolio
07/01/2025 | Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin has closed its acquisition of the Rapid Solutions business of Amentum, an engineering and technology solutions company.
Microchip Expands Space Portfolio with SA15-28 DC-DC Power Converter and Companion SF100-28 EMI Filter
07/01/2025 | MicrochipTraditional space applications have long required space-grade components to help ensure the success of missions. With over 60 years of space heritage, Microchip Technology continues to broaden its space portfolio and announces the SA15-28 off-the-shelf radiation-hardened DC-DC 15W power converter with a companion SF100-28 EMI filter that are designed to meet MIL-STD-461 specifications.
AST SpaceMobile & Fairwinds Technologies Demonstrate World’s First Tactical NTN Connectivity Over Standard Mobile Devices
07/01/2025 | BUSINESS WIREAST SpaceMobile, Inc. the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones, designed for both commercial and government applications, announced the successful demonstration of the world’s first Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) tactical satellite communications delivering high-throughput data, voice, and video using unmodified mobile devices in collaboration with Fairwinds Technologies (a privately held company).
Advancing Aerospace Excellence: Emerald’s Medford Team Earns Space Addendum Certification
06/30/2025 | Emerald TechnologiesWe’re thrilled to announce a major achievement from our Medford, Oregon facility. Andy Abrigo has officially earned her credentials as a Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) under the IPC J-STD-001 Space Addendum, the leading industry standard for space and military-grade electronics manufacturing.