*** ----> Saudi fund launches new group to boost space industry | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Saudi fund launches new group to boost space industry

AFP | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) yesterday launched the Neo Space Group to work on the kingdom’s nascent satellite and space industry, its first investment in the sector.

One of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, the PIF has already invested heavily in sports, gaming and so-called Saudi giga-projects including Neom, a $500-billion futuristic megacity under construction in the desert.

The Neo Space Group or NSG is the “PIF’s first investment focused on the space industry”, the sovereign wealth fund said in a statement.

It “aims to develop and enhance commercial space operations in Saudi Arabia, providing innovative satellite and space solutions locally and globally”, the PIF said.

It will also “invest in localisation, technology, startups, and knowledge in the space and satellite sector in Saudi Arabia” in the latest bid to boost economic diversification.