IHC is seeking an 80% stake in Marlan Holding, giving the Abu Dhabi investment group a foothold in satellite manufacturing and AI-enabled Earth observation. (Image source: IHC)Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company is preparing to enter the commercial space industry through the proposed acquisition of an 80% stake in Marlan Holding RSC Ltd. The transaction is being pursued by IHC’s wholly owned subsidiary, International Tech Group SP LLC, and remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
IHC is adding space infrastructure to a technology portfolio that already extends across artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and other advanced industries. The company describes itself as overseeing more than 1,300 subsidiaries, joint ventures, and associated businesses across its wider network.
Rather than acquiring a single satellite project, IHC is gaining control of a platform with interests across several parts of the space value chain. Marlan Holding is the company behind Marlan Space, a UAE-based investor and operator whose portfolio covers satellite systems, autonomous operations, advanced computing, and technologies with potential uses in space.
The deal gives IHC a route into an industry where governments and businesses are increasingly seeking faster access to Earth observation data and domestically controlled satellite capacity.
Marlan Space’s most significant operating asset is Orbitworks, an Abu Dhabi satellite company established as a joint venture with US-based Loft Orbital. Orbitworks was formed to manufacture and operate commercial satellites in the UAE, drawing on Loft Orbital’s experience with standardized satellite platforms and mission-management technology. The arrangement combines local production capacity with an international partner that already manages spacecraft and payloads in orbit.
Operations are centered at an assembly, integration, and testing facility in the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi, commonly known as KEZAD. The facility can design, assemble, test, and operate satellite systems for customers in the UAE and overseas. This physical infrastructure separates the transaction from investments focused solely on satellite data or software: IHC would also gain exposure to the manufacturing and operational side of the industry.
Orbitworks is developing Altair, a planned Earth observation constellation combining several types of sensors with onboard computing. The system is designed to use optical, hyperspectral, thermal, infrared, and passive radio-frequency payloads, allowing satellites to collect different forms of information rather than relying on conventional imagery alone. IHC said the first Altair satellite had been completed and additional spacecraft were being assembled in Abu Dhabi at the time the acquisition was announced.
Altair’s use of onboard artificial intelligence is central to the project. Traditional observation satellites commonly transmit large amounts of raw data to ground stations before that information can be processed and analyzed. Orbitworks intends to perform more of that work aboard the spacecraft, potentially reducing the time between observing an event and producing information that a customer can use.
A separate IHC announcement issued on September 9 placed the acquisition within a larger project involving Marlan Space, Loft Orbital, French artificial intelligence company Mistral AI, and other aerospace businesses. The partners announced a $1 billion Altair-Next Gen initiative involving an initial 50 satellites equipped with optical, radar, and other sensors. The companies said the system would analyze events in orbit and transmit alerts instead of waiting to send all underlying imagery to Earth for processing.
That expansion was announced one day after IHC disclosed the Marlan transaction, illustrating how quickly the investment group intends to connect its new space platform with international projects. The proposed infrastructure is expected to serve government and commercial customers in the UAE, France, Europe, and other markets. Still, delivery schedules, customer commitments, manufacturing progress, and regulatory clearances will ultimately determine how much commercial value the plans generate.
IHC’s entry comes as the UAE works to develop more of its space capabilities domestically, moving beyond purchasing services or components from established foreign suppliers. Orbitworks could contribute to that effort by keeping a larger share of satellite assembly, testing, engineering, and mission operations within Abu Dhabi. Its partnership with Loft Orbital also offers access to established technology without requiring the local company to develop every part of a satellite platform independently.
Commercial opportunities may extend beyond satellite sales. Earth observation systems can provide data for disaster monitoring, environmental assessment, maritime awareness, infrastructure management, and other applications. Onboard processing could shorten response times, although the performance and economics of the Altair system will only become clear after satellites are launched, tested, and used in active customer missions.
Completion of the acquisition should not be treated as a certainty. IHC has announced an agreement to pursue an 80% interest, but the company has not said that ownership has already transferred. Regulatory approval, closing conditions, and the undisclosed valuation remain important unanswered elements. If completed, the transaction would give one of Abu Dhabi’s largest investment groups a controlling position in a locally based satellite manufacturer and operator at a formative stage in the UAE’s commercial space sector.
