October 22, 2026, Mountain View, CA and AlUla, Saudi Arabia – The SETI Institute and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) installed and commissioned two LaserSETI stations at AlUla Manara in northwest Saudi Arabia. With these new stations, AlUla becomes LaserSETI’s first and only observing site in Asia and its fifth site worldwide, joining others in California, Hawai’i, Arizona and Puerto Rico.
The SETI Institute designed LaserSETI to keep a constant watch on large parts of the sky, looking for very brief flashes of light. These flashes might come from short-lived cosmic events, unusual astronomical phenomena or, potentially, laser technology beyond Earth.
Most telescopes focus on one object or a small part of the sky at a time. LaserSETI works differently. Its wide-field cameras and diffraction gratings watch large areas of the sky continuously, searching for events that conventional observations might miss.
This is why location matters. By spreading instruments around the world, the network can watch more of the sky for longer periods and compare unusual events seen from different places.
AlUla brings both geographic and environmental value to the network. Its protected dark skies provide favorable conditions for detecting faint optical phenomena, while its location in Asia extends LaserSETI’s observational coverage into a new region.
“Two years ago, we announced our intention to bring LaserSETI to AlUla. Today, the instruments are installed, commissioned and observing the sky,” said Dr. Franck Marchis, Senior Planetary Astronomer and Director of Citizen Science at the SETI Institute. “AlUla gives LaserSETI an important new geographic vantage point and connects this remarkable astronomical site to a growing global network. This is exactly what LaserSETI needs: instruments distributed around the world, observing continuously and together.”
A New View of the Sky
The two stations were installed on August 19, 2026, at the AlUla Manara ASM Site and are now fully operational and actively collecting astronomical data.
“LaserSETI was designed from the beginning as a global observatory rather than a single telescope,” said Eliot Gillum, Director of LaserSETI at the SETI Institute. “Adding AlUla extends the network into an entirely new geographic region. Every new location improves our ability to monitor the sky continuously and to compare observations of unusual events from different parts of the world.”
“The commissioning of LaserSETI at AlUla Manara marks an important milestone in our collaboration with SETI Institute, translating our shared ambition into scientific capability on the ground,” said Naif Al Malik, AlUla Manara Executive Program Head. “By connecting AlUla’s exceptional dark skies to a global observation network, we are creating new opportunities for scientific research, international collaboration and knowledge exchange, while strengthening AlUla’s growing role in astronomy and scientific discovery.”
Building on a Growing Partnership
These new stations are part of a partnership between RCU and the SETI Institute, announced in August 2024 to support astronomy research, technology, education and public involvement in AlUla. The agreement includes support for developing the AlUla Manara Observatory and installing LaserSETI instruments.
The SETI Institute will run and maintain the AlUla stations for three years together with RCU. Observations from AlUla will contribute to the global LaserSETI network, allowing scientists to analyze and compare data collected from different geographic locations. AlUla Manara is also working with LaserSETI to customize data outputs for analysis, future research and scientific communications. The partnership includes scientific research and publication, along with opportunities to use results from the instruments for education and public outreach.
The next phase will focus on analyzing data collected by the system and developing further opportunities for research and international scientific partnerships. The work will also help demonstrate the quality of AlUla’s dark skies and strengthen AlUla Manara’s broader astronomy program, connecting dark-sky protection with science, technology, education and public engagement.
About LaserSETI
LaserSETI is a project creating a global network of optical instruments to watch the night sky for brief flashes of light and other short events. By observing large parts of the sky continuously from different locations, LaserSETI makes it possible to spot short-lived astronomical events and expand the search for possible signs of technology beyond Earth.
About the Royal Commission for AlUla
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) was established by royal decree in July 2017 to preserve and develop AlUla, a region of outstanding natural and cultural significance in northwest Saudi Arabia. RCU’s long-term plan takes a responsible, sustainable and sensitive approach to urban and economic development while preserving the area’s natural and historic heritage. Its initiatives span archaeology, tourism, culture, education, science and the arts and support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives.
About the SETI Institute
Founded in 1984, the SETI Institute is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary research and education organization whose mission is to lead humanity’s quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe and to share that knowledge with the world. Its research encompasses the physical and biological sciences and leverages expertise in data analytics, machine learning and advanced signal detection technologies. The SETI Institute is a distinguished research partner for industry, academia and government agencies, including NASA and the National Science Foundation.
Contact Information
Rebecca McDonald
Director of Communications
SETI Institute
rmcdonald@seti.org
Royal Commission for AlUla
publicrelations@rcu.gov.