Loft Orbital, Marlan Space Plan $1bn AI Satellite Fleet

Loft Orbital and Marlan Space have unveiled a $1bn initiative to expand their AI-equipped satellite constellation, aiming to increase the fleet from 10 to 50 units. The announcement, made on September 9, was highlighted by French President Emmanuel Macron during the International Space Summit in Paris. This ambitious project relies on artificial intelligence models supplied by Mistral, allowing satellites to process data in orbit rather than waiting for ground-based analysis.

Marlan Space, an investor based in the UAE and a subsidiary of IHC, is driving this expansion. IHC, which is publicly traded and overseen by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, acquired an 80% stake in Marlan Space on September 8. Loft Orbital, known for building and operating satellites with facilities in San Francisco, Colorado, and Toulouse, will partner closely with Marlan. The joint venture behind the project, Orbitworks, established in 2024, will manufacture the satellites at the KEZAD industrial zone in Abu Dhabi, with plans to produce up to 50 units annually.

Constellation Capabilities and Funding Structure

The funding for this massive undertaking has been described through various lenses by financial and space media outlets. While the companies refer to it as a $1bn programme, Sifted reported that Loft Orbital signed a corresponding contract with Marlan Space. Bloomberg noted that a consortium led by these two entities plans to invest the sum, whereas Space Intel Report attributed the capital to Royal Group of Abu Dhabi. The constellation itself is named Altair. Although the initial plan involved only ten satellites, Orbitworks recently secured a deal with the French space agency to provide services using this network.

The satellites are equipped with radar, optical, and other sensors designed for rapid analysis. Unlike conventional systems that transmit raw imagery to Earth for processing, which can take hours, these satellites analyze observations while still in orbit and deliver results within seconds. Users can select AI models from an application store and execute them on shared satellites. This architecture supports a wide range of applications, including maritime domain awareness, wildfire detection, disaster response, and the protection of ports and critical infrastructure.

Strategic Partners and Supply Chain

Mistral plays a central role in the technical success of the Altair constellation. The Paris-based AI firm provides the onboard models that enable reasoning and natural-language tasking, powering both the satellites and the application store. This partnership comes shortly after Mistral announced a €3bn Series D funding round. Additionally, US-based BlackSky will supply high-resolution optical satellites for the fleet. Brian O’Toole, chief executive of BlackSky, stated that his company is proud to be “the highest-resolution optical provider on this program”.

The supply chain involves global components, including Nvidia chips, according to Bloomberg reports. Loft Orbital continues its long-standing relationship with BlackSky, which dates back to satellite buses built through Leostella, Loft Orbital’s former joint venture with Thales Alenia Space. Loft Orbital will handle the satellite platforms, onboard AI, software, and overall constellation operations for the new programme.

Market Applications and Executive Vision

The primary target audience includes government users in France, Europe, and the UAE, alongside commercial customers globally. While initial focuses include defense and security, Hamdullah Mohib, chief executive of Marlan Space and Orbitworks, anticipates rapid growth into emergency applications. He noted, “I would imagine that this would grow very fast into emergency applications,” citing road traffic management, agriculture, and environmental monitoring as potential future uses.

Pierre-Damien Vaujour, chief executive of Loft Orbital, emphasized the shift in operational paradigms. He stated, “With this constellation, we’re giving our partners building agentic AI workflows in space a true world-class satellite infrastructure.” He further explained to Sifted that the industry is transitioning from a model where operators wait for data to one where the orbit itself delivers, analyzes, and makes decisions. Mohib added that the programme transforms the UAE’s role in the sector, stating, “This turns a factory into a national capability, and the UAE from a buyer to a seller of satellite services.” Syed Basar Shueb, chief executive of IHC, remarked that the investment “positions the UAE and France at the forefront of a rapidly evolving space economy.”

Launch Timeline and Industry Context

Production of the first ten satellites is already underway, with the inaugural launch scheduled for early October. Bloomberg reported that the first satellite will fly on a SpaceX rocket, while Via Satellite identified MaiaSpace, a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, as the preferred launch provider. Loft Orbital brings significant experience to the table, having flown over 100 payloads and 20 AI missions, including a demonstration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory involving a vision-language model. The company raised €170m in a Series C round last year, valuing the business at over $1bn.

This announcement arrives amidst a broader trend of integrating computing power into space. Other firms are also expanding their orbital capabilities; for instance, Starcloud raised $250m in August for orbital data centres. Meanwhile, Europe is developing IRIS², its sovereign satellite network. Despite some American firms skipping the recent summit, the Altair project underscores the growing importance of AI-driven infrastructure in the global space economy.