PHOTO
Abu Dhabi’s Space42 is set to launch the MENA’s first earth observation satellite manufacturing hub after its subsidiary Mira Aerospace opened the region’s first High Altitude Platform Stations manufacturing center in Abu Dhabi.
The efforts are part of plans to advance UAE’s Earth Observation (EO) Space Program, designed to build capabilities in satellite-based remote sensing.
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange-listed Space42 was created through the merger of Abu Dhabi companies Bayanat and Yahsat. Its major shareholders include other Abu Dhabi entities, including G42, Mubadala and the International Holding Company (IHC) .
The company last year won a $5 billion 17-year contract from the UAE government to produce new satellites.
In October, the UAE government set up the Supreme Space Council to develop the country’s space sector, oversee the public policies, and set up a framework for managing infrastructure, facilities, and assets in space sector.
(Writing by Brinda Darasha; editing by Daniel Luiz)
