The UAE’s Role in the Next Era of Satellite Intelligence

By Khalid Al Naqbi – Emirati National Experts Programme, Satellite Technology Sector

The new space era is not about who reaches the stars first. That contest was settled long ago. Today, the focus is on who leads in harnessing intelligence from space. Satellites no longer just orbit the Earth; they drive economies, enable global security, and power the digital infrastructure of nations.

Nowhere was this shift more evident than at the Satellite Conference and Exhibition in Washington (March 11-13)—the annual meeting point of the most influential minds in satellite technology. The conversations did not revolve around who can launch the biggest rockets, they were about developments in artificial intelligence for space systems and the pending competition to capture LEO (Low Earth Orbit) with advanced constellation and data sensing technologies.

In this conference, and as an Emirati expert in the UAE’s National Experts Programme (NEP 4.0), I engaged with global leaders in satellite communications, artificial intelligence, and geospatial analytics. The message was clear: satellites are no longer passive tools of observation—they are decision-makers in orbit. The speed at which nations and industries apply their capabilities will determine their economic, security, and digital resilience for decades to come.

One of the key themes throughout the conference was the growing competition in Direct-to-Device (D2D) and NGSO broadband services. The shift in the strategy of global communications is marked by satellite-to-smartphone links, narrowband IoT, and the fusion of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Starlink, AST SpaceMobile, OneWeb, and Amazon Kuiper are currently locked in competition to set the mark for milestones and building blocks of this new phase. In this regard, the other day made public on March 11 Space42 and Viasat joint cooperation is of further scope because it adds impetus from the two companies are going to examine the multi-orbit 5G NTN architecture through the open systems approach with aim at global roaming and interoperability with other networks. Their initial focus is in the area of Developing the Implementation of D2D and IoT using L and S band spectrum for D. This partnership emphasises concepts across the globe that are trying to balance and unify the approaches to design frameworks that would cater for future satellite services with the existing national regulation policies and market dynamics.

Satellite Intelligence: Digital Transformation in Space

The numbers are staggering. In just a few years, Starlink has deployed over ~7,000 satellites, building a network capable of delivering high-speed internet to remote regions. SpaceX plans to expand that network to 42,000 satellites, effectively creating a digital web around the planet. Concurrently, now supported by Eutelsat, OneWeb has been constructing its own constellation of over 600 satellites for global broadband coverage, especially emphasising underserved areas and business connectivity. OneWeb seeks to serve the government, aviation, and maritime industries that operate on a larger scale with focused services through satellites in polar orbits as opposed to Starlink’s mass-market strategy. Meanwhile, China has announced its own mega-constellation project, with 13,000 satellites planned, a development that is accelerating global advancements in satellite technology.

But it is not just about the number of satellites—it is about what they can now do.

AI-driven Earth observation systems are rewriting the way we track economic activity, environmental shifts, and security threats. A new generation of satellites is identifying wildfires before they spread, detecting illegal deforestation in real time, and analysing global oil reserves by scanning storage tanks from orbit.

AI-powered Earth observation systems are transforming how we respond to climate change, natural disasters, and economic shifts. Satellites equipped with machine learning now analyse vast datasets in orbit, reducing the time required for decision-making from weeks to hours. In environmental monitoring, satellites are detecting and predicting wildfires, floods, and extreme weather patterns in real time, providing critical information for disaster response teams worldwide.

The economic potential is equally significant. The global space economy, valued at roughly $350 billion global space industry could surge to over $1tn by 2040, according to Morgan Stanley.

UAE: From Space Exploration to Space Intelligence

For decades, the UAE has been known for its audacious space ambitions—from the Hope Probe’s journey to Mars to the upcoming MBR Explorer mission to the asteroid belt (UAE Space Agency, 2024). But at SATELLITE 2025, the discussions were about something equally crucial: how the UAE is integrating space intelligence into national and regional progress.

The UAE has nearly doubled its space investment, from Dh22 billion in 2015 to over Dh40 billion today. And the strategy is clear: it is not just about launching missions but about ensuring that the country owns the intelligence that flows from them.

My work focuses on edge computing within satellite architectures, ensuring that vast amounts of data are processed in orbit before they even reach Earth. This marks a fundamental shift—satellites are no longer just eyes in the sky; they are real-time analytics hubs in space, making real-time decisions before transmitting critical insights.

The UAE is also advancing secure satellite communications, a critical area in the evolving digital economy. With developments in quantum encryption, space-based cybersecurity, and sovereign data networks, satellite communications are becoming central to national security and infrastructure resilience. These topics were among the most discussed at SATELLITE 2025, as governments and industry leaders work to ensure secure, uninterrupted global connectivity.

SATELLITE 2025: Defining the Future of Global Connectivity

The conversations at SATELLITE 2025 did not dwell on distant possibilities—they focused on what is already happening:

• Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites are laying the foundation for 6G networks. The extensive low-latency global connectivity offered by LEO satellites will provide real-time access to 6G networks. Looking past 5G, advanced AI-driven geospatial analytics paired with LEO satellites will enable superior applications in mobility, autonomy, and environmental intelligence.
• Satellites are now capable of tracking global supply chains in real time. From monitoring shipping lanes to assessing the economic activity of entire nations, satellite intelligence is becoming the ultimate decision-making tool.
• AI-powered satellites are processing and analysing data in orbit. This means businesses, governments, and security agencies no longer have to wait days for reports—they get actionable insights in minutes.

The future is not just about collecting data. It is about understanding it instantly and acting on it decisively.

The Road Ahead: A Future Written in Orbit

This is not speculation. Self-repairing satellites, powered by AI, are already in development, capable of autonomously fixing hardware issues in space. Quantum encryption is making space-based communications virtually unhackable. Mega constellations are reshaping global internet infrastructure, bringing high-speed connectivity to the world’s most remote regions.

For the UAE, the direction is clear. The nation is not just participating in the new space era—it is actively shaping its future.

At SATELLITE 2025, one thing became evident: Emirati expertise is no longer on the sidelines of these discussions—it is at the forefront.

Space has always been about exploration. But in this new era, the real breakthroughs are not in reaching new worlds—they are in harnessing the intelligence that orbits our own.

And for those who understand this shift, the possibilities are limitless.