The United Arab Emirates is set to invest $1 billion in France in a project to develop a constellation of 50 AI-powered Earth observation satellites. The announcement was made in Paris on September 9, during the International Space Summit, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Dubbed Altair-Next Gen, the project is being developed by Emirati company Marlan Space and Loft Orbital, a space company with operations in both the United States and Toulouse. French AI firm Mistral AI will provide artificial intelligence models to be deployed onboard the satellites.

In practical terms, the satellites will be able to analyse the images they capture directly in orbit, rather than waiting for the data to be processed on the ground. The system could be used to rapidly detect wildfires, ships, missile launches or threats to critical infrastructure, and issue alerts within seconds.

The funding will come from the UAE, while the constellation will be owned by a French-registered company. The satellites themselves will be assembled in Abu Dhabi by Orbitworks, a joint venture established in 2024 by Marlan Space and Loft Orbital. Its services are expected to be offered to French, European and Emirati government customers, as well as commercial clients.

The project highlights the deepening technological partnership between Paris and Abu Dhabi, which in February 2025 had already agreed to strengthen cooperation on artificial intelligence, with plans potentially involving tens of billions of euros in investment in France.

Sources: WAM / Reuters