Arabsat orders ARABSAT-50 satellite from China's CGWIC
Arabsat · China Great Wall Industry Corporation
Arabsat contracted China's CGWIC to build its 50th-anniversary satellite, the first in Arabsat's fleet built by a Chinese manufacturer.
what happened
Arabsat said it signed an agreement with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) on Sept. 22 to build and launch ARABSAT-50, a high-power Ku-band satellite on CGWIC's DFH-3E platform, to sustain Direct-to-Home broadcasting continuity at Arabsat's 26 degrees East orbital position, per Via Satellite and Developing Telecoms. China-in-space.com reported the satellite will launch on a Long March 3B from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and that ARABSAT-50 will be the first satellite in Arabsat's fleet built by China, all of the operator's prior satellites having come from American or European manufacturers. The satellite's naming marks Arabsat's 50th anniversary; the Arab League-owned operator was founded by 21 Arab countries in 1976.
why it matters
The contract gives CGWIC, China's state-owned satellite-export arm, its first foothold in a Middle Eastern GEO operator's manufacturing supply chain after decades of Arabsat sourcing exclusively from Western manufacturers, a data point for Chinese manufacturers competing more aggressively for international commercial satellite orders.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Arabsat, China Great Wall Industry Corporation
- Category
- contract
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-09-22
- Published
- 2026-09-28 05:26 UTC