Orbitworks

Orbitworks is an Abu Dhabi-based joint venture established in 2024 between Marlan Space (a UAE space company) and Loft Orbital Solutions (San Francisco-based rideshare satellite operator), forming what is positioned as the UAE's first commercial satellite mass-manufacturing facility and constellation development company. The venture aims to bring satellite manufacturing capability to the UAE — previously reliant on importing satellite systems from Europe, the U.S., and South Korea — aligning with the UAE National Space Programme's goals to develop sovereign satellite industrial capacity alongside its government programs like Hope Mars Mission and the lunar rover program. Loft Orbital contributes its YAM standardized hosted-payload satellite bus platform and constellation operations expertise, having developed the technology to rapidly integrate third-party payloads onto a shared satellite bus and operate multi-customer hosted satellite constellations efficiently. Marlan Space contributes local UAE market access, government relationships, and Emirati capital. Together, Orbitworks is developing the Altair constellation — an AI-enabled Earth observation satellite constellation providing analytics-ready imagery for the MENA region's infrastructure monitoring, urban planning, and natural resource management needs. Abu Dhabi's strategic investment in space (through EDGE Group, ADSB, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre collaboration) reflects the broader Gulf state strategy of using space as a high-technology industry to diversify from oil revenues and develop sovereign technology capabilities. Orbitworks competes with regional EO providers including ImageSat International (Israeli EO serving MENA clients) and Telespazio's regional services, while drawing on Loft Orbital's constellation management software as its operational backbone.