UAE, Airbus to build satellites in Al Ain
dubai — Abu Dhabi-based Tawazun Economic Council on Wednesday announced that it would set up assembly, integration and testing (AIT) centre for satellites in Al Ain in partnership with the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the National Space Science and Technology Centre (NSSTC) of the UAE University.
The AIT Satellite Centre will develop small to medium-sized communication, navigation and hyperspectral satellites ranging between 50 to 250 kilogrammes and will commence operations at the beginning of 2021.
Airbus will also manage the procurement, installation and operational qualification required for the equipment.
The UAE Space Agency is funding the first two projects that will be completed under the management and operation of NSSTC. The first project will be a satellite that will augment navigational capabilities for the UAE and the second will be the Arab 813 Satellite. Both projects are currently underway with the support of Airbus and will be completed at the new facilities.
Currently, the UAE’s space sector employs 3,000 people across 50 space related entities, five space research and development centres and three universities offering space degrees. This new project will create 32 new jobs – at least 22 of whom will be UAE nationals – with significant know-how transfer and training being conducted at Airbus facilities in France as well as locally.
3,000
People across 50 space related entities employed in the UAE