The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) and the Saudi Space Agency (SSA), in partnership with the NeoSpace Group, announced the qualifying companies at the end of the SpaceUp global competition, held on the sidelines of the Global Space Connectivity & Sustainability Events 2026. The competition aims to promote space entrepreneurship, support companies specialized in space technology solutions, and encourage the adoption of space technology solutions that support various vital sectors.
The competition attracted more than 690 participations from more than 50 countries, and contributed to localizing more than 40 companies by directly connecting entrepreneurs and companies with relevant stakeholders, localizing the technical product, and linking participants with stakeholders to implement the proposed technical product.
SARSATX, from Saudi Arabia, qualified in the "Greening Saudi Arabia" track, run by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, to present solutions that help improve the speed and efficiency of invasive plant monitoring, support the protection of native plants and vegetation cover, reduce the need for field monitoring work, and enhance the sustainability of rangelands, water resources, and ecosystems. It also qualified in the "Diagnosing Date Palm Pest Infestations" track, run by the Waqaya Center, to present solutions that improve early detection of pests and diseases, enhance the efficiency of inspection and follow-up work, improve the monitoring of date palm health, and support the protection of agricultural wealth.
In the "Monitoring the Impact of Infrastructure Development" track, run by the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center, Orbital Universe from Australia qualified to present solutions that improve the efficiency of infrastructure project planning, improve the estimation of traffic impact from closures, enhance road quality after work is completed, and support smoother traffic flow.
The proposed solutions center on using the latest Earth observation technologies from space, combined with artificial intelligence, to address challenges related to infrastructure and agriculture, monitoring changes, supporting decision-making, and enabling future forecasting, reflecting a move toward employing space technologies and AI to develop practical, high-impact solutions.
The announcement also included recognition of strategic partner NeoSpace Group (NSG), as well as recognition of the challenge tracks' success partners: the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the Quality of Life Program (one of Saudi Vision 2030's programs), the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center (RIPC), the National Center for Plant Pest and Animal Disease Prevention and Control (Waqaya Center), and the Saudi Green Initiative (MGI), all of which contributed to adopting innovative solutions and strengthening their application and enablement in the Kingdom, as well as encouraging research and innovation within it.
Source: https://www.cst.gov.sa/en/media-center/news/qualifying-companies-spaceup-global-competition
