Oman Paves Its Silk Road with 20 Satellites
China will assist Oman in creating a sovereign satellite constellation and training 1,000 specialists via Star Vision.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
This deal represents the largest order for satellite exports by volume and number in the history of China’s commercial space sector, and marks the first time a complete Chinese space computing constellation is being exported abroad.
Ali Shah, CEO of Oman Lens, told Xinhua today that China will assist the Sultanate of Oman in establishing a sovereign satellite constellation, clarifying that the 20 satellites will form the “Oman Lens” constellation, whose operations and data will be owned by Oman.
In addition to providing comprehensive support—from satellite development and manufacturing to launch—Star Vision will establish the Middle East’s first artificial intelligence space laboratory and a satellite assembly, integration, and testing center in Oman.
From a single satellite to an integrated constellation, the “Space Silk Road” between China and Oman is taking shape as a space network. The first two satellites of the project are scheduled for launch at the end of this year. The two satellites will carry high-resolution “eyes,” jointly developed by companies from both countries, enabling them to monitor the Earth’s surface and distinguish various features such as water bodies and vegetation, while improving imaging resolution from one meter to 0.5 meters.
The cooperation extends beyond technology transfer to include capacity building. Under the “Astronauts Program,” Star Vision will train 1,000 Omani specialists in relevant fields. This autumn, four young Omanis enrolled in the International Innovation Institute of Beihang University in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, eastern China, to begin their studies.
