UAE-based SpaceTech company Space42 has opened the Middle East and North Africa’s first manufacturing facility for High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) in Abu Dhabi, the company said on Monday.
The 4,500-square-metre facility, operated by Space42 subsidiary Mira Aerospace, will produce more than 20 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) annually for civil, environmental, and defence applications, supporting the UAE’s National Space Strategy 2030 and economic diversification efforts.
Space42 expands aerospace leadership
“As the global demand for HAPS accelerates, Space42 is making strategic investments to strengthen our leadership in this growing market,” said Khaled Al Marzooqi, CEO of Mira Aerospace, Space42.
“The decision to build our new HAPS manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi reflects our commitment to creating reliable, cost-effective systems with advanced space technology and plays a central role in developing sovereign capabilities that support our long-term business objectives and the UAE’s broader economic goals,” he added.
The facility marks a strategic milestone in positioning the UAE at the forefront of sovereign aerospace and space-based connectivity innovation, according to the company. The company said the UAE is currently the only country in the Middle East with domestic aerospace manufacturing capabilities.
The HAPS facility is part of the company’s broader investments in vertically integrated manufacturing and data infrastructure. The company is also collaborating with ICEYE, a specialist in synthetic aperture radar technology, to co-produce Earth Observation satellites in the UAE.
In February 2025, Mira Aerospace partnered with XRANGE to establish a permanent testing hub for high-altitude, long-endurance UAV trials. The company claims to be the first in the world to demonstrate 5G connectivity from the stratosphere using heavier-than-air HAPS.
Space42 was established in 2024 following the merger between Bayanat and Yahsat, and is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX: SPACE42). Its major shareholders include G42, Mubadala and IHC.
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