Country dossier · SAU

Saudi Arabia

Emerging space nation

A sourced snapshot of Saudi Arabia's posture in space — capability, institutions, orbital assets, law and people. Every figure carries its primary source; gaps are shown honestly, never filled with invented data.

Open Saudi Arabia in the interactive workspace →

Capability tier

Emerging space nation

Launches to orbit from its own territory: noLaunch sites on record: 0Nationals who have flown: 3

Source: ALL IN SPACE capability ladder · see methodology

Space agency

Saudi Space Agency (SSA)

National space agency · established 2018 · two-source verified

Source: UNOOSA · Worldwide Space Agencies directory

Satellites (owner state)

16

Counted from the GCAT May 2026 snapshot. The interactive workspace shows a live CelesTrak figure, which uses different owner-attribution rules and will differ.

Source: GCAT · General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (J. McDowell) · May 2026 snapshot

Ground stations

8

Source: ALL IN SPACE curated ground-station dataset (operator-sourced)

Space budget

No published space budget indexed for this country.

National strategy

Saudi National Space Strategy 2040 (2024)

Supreme Space Council-approved strategy aligning the sector with Vision 2030, projecting 0.5% GDP contribution by 2030

Source: Published national space strategies and policies

International space law

InstrumentStatus
Outer Space Treaty 1967Ratified
Rescue Agreement 1968Ratified
Liability Convention 1972Ratified
Registration Convention 1975Ratified
Moon Agreement 1979Not a party
Artemis Accords 2020Signatory (2022-07-14)

Source: Status of international agreements relating to activities in outer space (1 January 2026)

Launch sites

No launch infrastructure on Saudi territory; satellites launched via foreign providers.

Source: National launch site roster · ALL IN SPACE compilation

Astronauts

  • Sultan bin Salman Al SaudRoyal Saudi Air Force / NASA · first flight 1985 · First Saudi, first Arab and first Muslim in space
  • Rayyanah BarnawiSaudi Space Agency / Axiom · first flight 2023 · First Saudi woman in space
  • Ali Al-QarniRoyal Saudi Air Force / Axiom · first flight 2023 · Second Saudi man in space

Source: Astronaut biographies

Milestones

  • 1985First national in space
  • 2018Saudi Space Agency (SSA) established

Notable missions and contributions

  • Prince Sultan bin Salman — first Arab in space (STS-51-G, 1985)
  • Rayyanah Barnawi — first Arab woman in space (ISS, 2023)
  • Ali Al Qarni — ISS mission (2023)
  • KSA-SAT / SaudiSat series (KACST, 1999–present)
  • Artemis Accords signatory (2022)
  • SSA National Space Strategy 2030