Desert Rescue

KAUST CTL Researchers Win Third Place in Non-terrestrial Networks 2026 International Research Competition

2 min read · Thu, Oct 29 2026

High-Altitude Platform Stations Unmanned Aerial Vehicle HAPSs UAV Satellites Target Acquisition Desert Rescue

Dr. Abdullah Abu Zaid and Prof. Mohamed-Slim Alouini from the CTL research group at KAUST, together with Dr. Baha Eddine Youcef Belmekki from Heriot-Watt University, won third place in the Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) 2026 International Research Competition. The competition is organized by Saudi Arabia's Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) in partnership with IEEE. The winners were announced at the Global Space Connectivity and Sustainability Events 2026, co-organized by CST and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Riyadh from 12 to 14 October 2026. Their