Yahsat Takes Steps into the EO Arena

Yahsat CEO, Ali Al Hashemi. Photo: Yahsat

Yahsat has signed a new MoU with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) as the two organizations look to take the UAE’s space ambitions to the next level. The two organizations will collaborate on the commercialization of remote sensing data and earth observation images for Yahsat’s commercial and government customers, as well as the potential to collaborate in R&D and in-country manufacturing. The two companies announced the partnership, Feb. 15.

Under the partnership, MBRSC’s fleet of satellites will provide Yahsat with earth observation imagery and remote sensing data, which will then be available to key clients as a part of Yahsat’s expanded solutions portfolio through its dedicated government arm, Yahsat Government Solutions (YGS). The partnership between MBRSC and Yahsat signifies the first point of collaboration between these two key organizations in the UAE and is an important step forward in the creation of a sovereign local economy within the space sector as part of an effort to establish the UAE as a global hub for space science and technology.

Demand for remote sensing data is expected to reach more than $100 million in the UAE and more than $400 million in the MENA region by 2027. The global market potential is estimated to be more than $4 billion for optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data combined. The partnership represents an opportunity for Yahsat to expand its offering within this rapidly evolving sector, in-line with a strategy of prioritizing product and service expansions across core growth industries.

“The agreement is a testament to our shared goal of establishing the UAE as a global hub for space science and technology while helping to create a sovereign economy around the space sector. The expansion of services linked to earth observation and remote sensing is an area of focus for Yahsat, in-line with our strategy of prioritizing sectors with anticipated outsized growth,” Ali Al Hashemi, CEO, Yahsat, said in a statement