Space42 firm on Equatys project
August 10, 2026

By Chris Forrester



Equatys is the proposed Direct-to-Device (D2D) joint-venture covering 2,800 low Earth orbiting satellites with Viasat of California and Abu Dhabi-based Space42 providing the bulk of the financing.

Space42, in a financial statement, stressed that its Equatys D2D partnership remained a top priority, despite what appear to be delays in production.


“Our work is on full speed,” Space42 MD Karim Michel Sabbagh said in the investor call. He said launches were still scheduled to start in 2028 or 2029, despite the fact that the two partners have been unable to secure a prime contractor for the constellation, whom they had hoped would become a third Equatys shareholder.

Space42 had told investors earlier this year that it would spend $420 million (€363m) on Equatys in 2026 and another $180 million in 2027. The company said it was maintaining its capex plan for Equatys but did not specify that the $600 million would be spent in the coming 18 months.

“Our focus now is on firming up the funding on the initial constellation,” Sabbagh said. “We are taking the time required to make sure we create a mechanism that not only secures the initial funding but creates a platform that allows others to come in later on.”

“We intend to finalise this over the course of weeks and few months to come. We are pretty much advanced on this to kick off the manufacturing process. We want to firm up the financial structure so that we can allow others to come in. Space42 has already committed its part of the capital,” Sabbagh added.