KACST · Earth & Space Science Institute

Earth & Space Science Institute

ESSI · Exploring Earth & Beyond

A national platform for R&D in Earth observation and space exploration — more than 40 years of scientific excellence.

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Earth Observation

Watching Our Planet From Above

SATELLITES · DATA · INSIGHT

High-resolution satellite imagery and geospatial intelligence powering the Kingdom's digital infrastructure.

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NAOL · National Observatory

Eyes on the Deep Sky

ASTRONOMY · DEEP SPACE · DISCOVERY

Robotic observatories and space situational awareness establishing the Kingdom as a regional reference in astronomy.

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Beyond Our Horizon

From Earth to the Cosmos

RESEARCH · INNOVATION · LEADERSHIP

Driving Saudi Arabia's scientific ambition across Earth, atmosphere, and the universe beyond.

Our Mission Our Work

EXPLORE

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2026 — 2030

Strategy

A national roadmap turning ESSI into a sovereign platform for geospatial data, national labs and deep-space monitoring.

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About

Director's Message

A word from Dr. Majed Ali Al-Bahkali, Director of the Earth & Space Science Institute.

Meet the director

Coming soon

Projects

We are launching a projects platform to showcase ESSI's leading research initiatives.

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National initiative

Saudi from Space

A national initiative capturing the Kingdom through high-resolution satellite imagery.

Open initiative

Live

Earth Now

Monitor the Earth in real time — climate, atmosphere and surface indicators.

Open Earth Now

NAOL · Pillar 3

National Astronomical Observatory

Robotic observatories and deep-space awareness establishing the Kingdom as a regional reference in space sciences.

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NGSL · Pillar 2

Geospatial Solutions Lab

Dynamic digital twins, HD maps and AI-driven feature extraction powering the Kingdom's spatial infrastructure.

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