Abu Dhabi, UAE: EDGE’s space-focused entity, FADA, has finalised a contract with Orbitworks, an Abu Dhabi-based satellite integrator, to support assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) capabilities on Sirb-1, the first phase of Sirb, the UAE Space Agency-led programme to develop and launch sovereign synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite capabilities in the UAE.
Orbitworks will join Sirb’s local consortium, a cornerstone of Sirb’s mission to foster a competitive and innovative commercial space sector which promotes the growth of the UAE’s knowledge-based economy.
The contract was signed by Waleid Al Mesmari, President of Space & Cyber Technologies, EDGE, and Dr Hamdullah Mohib, Acting CEO, Orbitworks, during Make it in the Emirates 2026.
EDGE and Orbitworks will collaborate with international partners under a Transfer of Knowledge (ToK) programme to absorb, develop, and permanently localise AIT for SAR payload technologies within the UAE. Through structured ToK, EDGE and Orbitworks will acquire and develop expertise in high-performance sensing and advanced testing.
Waleid Al Mesmari, President of Space & Cyber Technologies, EDGE, stated: “This partnership is another step in our national effort to unite industry experts and Emirati talent. Sirb reflects our shared mission to protect the UAE’s sovereign resilience and drive long-term innovation. We are proud to drive a complete ecosystem for satellite development, transforming the UAE into a hub for earth observation and radar imaging expertise.”
Dr Hamdullah Mohib, Acting CEO, Orbitworks, said: “This contract is a direct result of the sovereign infrastructure we have built here in Abu Dhabi. Our AIT facility at KEZAD – purpose-built for high-volume satellite production, environmental qualification testing, and payload integration – gives us the technical foundation to take on complex programmes like Sirb and deliver them on Emirati soil. The UAE no longer needs to look beyond its borders to assemble, integrate and test advanced satellite systems. That capability exists here, and this partnership with EDGE and FADA puts it to work.”
Led and funded by the UAE Space Agency, Sirb represents a strategic national investment to advance sovereign SAR capabilities, enable technology transfer, and strengthen the UAE’s space sector through the development of national talent, local industry, and integrated supply chains, with EDGE serving as prime contractor in an Emirati consortium.
