Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Abu Dhabi-based Orbitworks is preparing to launch its first satellite, a key test of the UAE’s push to move from buying space technology to building more of it at home.

The UAE is not starting from zero: it has operated communications satellites, sent the Hope probe to Mars and signed onto the Artemis Accords. But commercial satellite manufacturing is a different challenge, and Orbitworks is entering a crowded market where many rivals already have flight heritage, mature supply chains and customer trust.

Acting CEO Hamdullah Mohib says the company’s first satellite is critical to building credibility.

“You can only do this one time and do it right,...Our credibility and our heritage is dependent on it,” he told CNBC’s Dan Murphy on "Managing Middle East."

Watch Hamdullah Mohib's interview with Dan Murphy by clicking the video below.

#CNBC #ManagingMiddleEast #Orbitworks #Space

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