Recent Activity
Space42 listed on Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange Oct 2024 (Yahsat + Bayanat merger); UAE Space Agency announced expanded launch-capability roadmap 2024-2025.
Investor Brief
Sovereign launch is the missing piece in UAE's otherwise mature space stack (manufacturing, missions, astronauts, telecom). Commercial Space42 (Bayanat + Yahsat merger, 2024) and growing private investor base via Mubadala signal long-term capital availability.
Ownership
Parent Entity
Regulatory Regime
Latitude Advantage
Country
🇦🇪United Arab Emirates
Region
Middle East
Established
2,014
Launches / Year
0
Years Active
12
Strategic Position
24.4539° N, 54.3773° E
Abu Dhabi at ~24.4°N offers modest GEO bonus; equatorial sea-launch concepts would offer near-0° launches if realized
About
The United Arab Emirates has rapidly built a sovereign space program — Hope Mars probe successfully entered Mars orbit in February 2021, an Emirati lunar rover Rashid flew on the iSpace Hakuto-R lander in 2023, and Sultan Al Neyadi completed a six-month ISS expedition in 2023. All UAE missions to date have launched on foreign vehicles (Hope flew from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center on an H-IIA). The UAE Space Agency and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) are studying a domestic launch capability, with long-horizon concepts including equatorial sea-launch platforms and a dedicated facility in the Al-Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. Strategic partnerships with Etihad Aerospace and YahSat (Yahsat) anchor the commercial layer.
Key Features
All UAE missions to date launched on foreign rockets — domestic capability is the stated next-decade goal
Hope Mars probe (2020) made UAE the fifth nation to reach Mars
Rashid rover (2023) made UAE the fourth nation to attempt a lunar surface mission
Strategic anchor partners include Etihad Aerospace, YahSat, and emerging Bayanat-Yahsat merger (Space42)
Long-horizon equatorial sea-launch concepts under feasibility study
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
No domestic launches — site is pre-construction
Hope Mars probe (2020, launched from Tanegashima, Japan on H-IIA)
KhalifaSat (2018, launched from Tanegashima on H-IIA)
Rashid lunar rover (2022, launched from Cape Canaveral on Falcon 9)