Oman signs agreement with Airbus for launch of communication satellite

Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman has signed an agreement with Airbus Defence and Space to design, manufacture and launch the first Omani satellite for communications services.

It is part of national efforts to enhance the communications system and digital sovereignty, and build national capabilities in the fields of space and future technologies.

The agreement was signed between Engineer Saeed bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology, and Alain Fauré, CEO of Airbus Space Systems.

 Airbus will design “OmanSat-1” with high capacity in the Ka frequency band, and it will cover the Sultanate of Oman, including its economic waters, in addition to the Middle East, East Africa, and the Asia region. It will be based on Airbus’ OneSat platform and will feature full digital flexibility for reconfiguration while in orbit. Under the agreement, the Ministry entrusted the operation of the project to Space Communications Technologies, a company owned by the Oman Investment Authority (OIA).