The UAE is celebrating 25 years since the launch of Thuraya 1, the country’s first satellite — a landmark mission that laid the groundwork for one of the world’s fastest-growing space programmes.
Launched on October 21, 2000, aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket from a mobile platform in the Pacific, Thuraya 1 was built by Boeing for Thuraya Telecommunications Company in Abu Dhabi. At over five tonnes, it was among the heaviest commercial telecoms satellites of its time and became the Middle East’s first telecom satellite, providing connectivity to Thuraya’s satellite phones.
Two hours and 22 minutes after lift-off, a ground station in Italy received the first signal, confirming the satellite’s successful operation. This achievement marked the UAE’s first major step into space, at a time when no domestic satellite manufacturing industry existed.
Jassem Nasser, Chief Business Development Officer at Space42, described Thuraya 1 as “the first building block” of the UAE’s modern space ambitions.
“When Thuraya 1 was launched in 2000, the UAE’s priority was to build infrastructure that could connect people across the globe,” he said. “Since then, the nation has transformed those foundations into a dynamic space ecosystem anchored by institutional maturity, strategic foresight, and commercial ambition.”
Following its 2018 merger into Yahsat, and the subsequent 2024 formation of Space42 through the Yahsat–Bayanat merger, the company now leads in satellite communications, geospatial intelligence, and mobility solutions. The UAE, once a buyer of space technology, is now a recognized developer and provider across telecommunications and Earth observation.
Since Thuraya 1, the UAE has launched 27 satellites and spacecraft, including homegrown missions like KhalifaSat and MBZ-Sat. The country’s latest projects, such as the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, are being built predominantly by domestic firms — further strengthening local expertise and private-sector engagement.
Mr. Nasser noted that the commercialisation of space has been a key driver of progress:
“Through an investment of roughly Dh44 billion ($12 billion), the UAE has created fertile ground for private-sector participation and international collaboration.”
The UAE’s civil space programme now includes two astronaut missions to the ISS, a Mars orbiter, and lunar exploration projects.
As Dr. Dimitra Atri of NYU Abu Dhabi put it:
“In 25 years, that initial capability has grown into a complete ecosystem — from Earth observation to Mars, the Moon, and now the asteroid belt. Other nations today study the UAE model to learn how to build a space programme that is rapid, focused, and strategically forward-looking.”
