Loft Orbital and Marlan Space, based in Abu Dhabi, are entering a constellation whose image processing will be done on board, on GPUs, without lowering the data to the ground.
Loft Orbital and Emirate Marlan Space have finalized a $1 billion agreement for the construction and deployment of 50 satellites in low orbit. The announcement was relayed on September 13, 2026.
The originality of the constellation lies in what turns on board. Mistral AI integrates lightweight models and computer vision algorithms, executed on embedded GPUs, to process images in real time, identify anomalies and track targets without waiting for a passage over a ground station. BlackSky provides imaging sensors. The set aims at defence, civil and commercial uses.
Production and assembly will take place until the end of 2026 in the Orbitworks plant at Abu Dhabi, a joint venture created in 2024, with the first launches planned for 2027 on Falcon 9. Pierre-Damien Vaujour, Managing Director of Loft Orbital, said he was convinced by the prospect of producing LEO constellations on a scale in the United Arab Emirates.
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