Space42, the Abu Dhabi-based Space technology company, successfully launched its Thuraya 4 telecoms satellite into orbit, the company said on Saturday.
The satellite was aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It will take several months until Thuraya 4 reaches its operational geostationary orbit, about 36,000 kilometres above Earth, Space42 said.
The satellite will provide mobile communications services throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Space42 was established last year after Bayanat, an artificial intelligence powered geospatial solutions provider owned by G42, merged with Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, known as Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider.
Last month, the company was awarded a new 17-year contract by the UAE government, that will help speed up the construction of its new satellites and provide more continuity in the development of the sector. The Dh18.7 billion ($5.1 billion) agreement replaces two existing contracts due to end in late 2026 and extends the parties' collaboration right through to 2043.
The UAE, meanwhile, has been expanding the scope of its space programme. It currently has the largest space sector in the region in terms of investment size and diversity. In 2022, the Emirates launched a Dh3 billion fund to bolster its space programme, along with a new initiative to develop radar satellites.
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