As part of an ambitious plan to promote space technology for commercial purposes, the Kingdom is preparing to launch six new satellites this year, said Prince Turki bin Saud, vice president of the research institute at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). These satellites have been designed and fabricated by a team of Saudi scientists at KACST's Institute of Space Research here. "Five of the six satellites have been built for communications purposes and will be for commercial use, while the sixth spacecraft will be mainly utilized for earth observation," said Prince Turki, according to a report published today by Arab News. Saudi Arabia had previously launched a few experimental satellites with an aim of testing their commercial viability. The Prince said that amateur scientists in universities worldwide are utilizing these Saudi satellites for their own projects. "Now, we think that the technology development at KACST is highly reliable and is ready for commercial use," said the prince. He also mentioned the long-term plan spearheaded by KACST researchers to create an aerospace industry with a focus on satellite-technology in the Kingdom.
