Marlan Space and Loft Orbital announced the Altair-Next Gen satellite program on Sept. 9, 2026, at the International Space Summit in Paris. In a company disclosure, they described an initial 50-satellite constellation tied to a stated $1 billion investment program. Aviation Week and BlackSky separately reported the same planned scope.
The companies said the first AI satellite is planned for launch in October 2026. Aviation Week reported that the proposed mission would use a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare flight. That is a target, not a record of a completed launch.
The companies describe the planned system as combining optical, radar and other sensors with onboard processing and AI-generated alerts intended to arrive within seconds. BlackSky has said its Gen-3 satellites would form part of the constellation and provide very-high-resolution optical imaging. The reviewed announcements describe these as planned capabilities; they do not demonstrate that the system is operating or that the stated response times have been achieved.
BlackSky also announced that it had been named the exclusive provider of very-high-resolution electro-optical satellites for the initiative. Its announcement, like the companies’ other statements, concerns the planned constellation rather than an operational one.
Le Monde reported that Loft Orbital CEO Pierre-Damien Vaujour said contracts had been signed with several government entities in France and the United Arab Emirates, and that Mistral AI would deploy the model. The entities were not named in the reviewed material, and the record contains no contracts independently substantiating those claims.
The announcements establish that the companies and partners publicly presented the program and its intended scope. The reviewed evidence does not establish that the $1 billion has been transferred, that the reported government contracts have been completed, or that the proposed constellation is operational.