The SETI Institute and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) have collaborated to bring two new LaserSETI stations to AlUla Manara in northwest Saudi Arabia, marking the first LaserSETI installations in Asia.
Installed on August 19, 2026, at the AlUla Manara ASM Site, both devices are now operational. Together with existing LaserSETI locations in North America (California, Hawai‘i, Arizona, and Puerto Rico), the new stations will help expand continuous monitoring of the skies for unusual astronomical events, including potential signals from extraterrestrial laser technology.
“Two years ago, we announced our intention to bring LaserSETI to AlUla,” said Dr. Franck Marchis, Senior Planetary Astronomer and Director of Citizen Science at the SETI Institute, in a statement. “Today, the instruments are installed, commissioned, and observing the sky.”
“AlUla gives LaserSETI an important new geographic vantage point and connects this remarkable astronomical site to a growing global network,” he adds. “This is exactly what LaserSETI needs: instruments distributed around the world, observing continuously and together.”
“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.”
How LaserSETI works
Location plays an important role in LaserSETI’s ability to monitor the sky. Using wide-field cameras equipped with diffraction gratings, the instruments can observe large portions of the night sky and search for unusual optical signals. By distributing these instruments across multiple locations worldwide, the network can collect more data, extend its observing coverage, and monitor events from different geographic vantage points.
AlUla’s exceptionally dark skies provide favorable conditions for detecting faint optical signals, while its location in Asia significantly expands the network’s geographic coverage.
“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.”
A New International Partnership
The collaboration between RCU and the SETI Institute aims to advance astronomical research and education while supporting the continued development of AlUla Manara Observatory.
The partnership includes a three-year commitment involving the new LaserSETI installations and collaboration with other participating organizations. Researchers will work together to compare and analyze observational data collected from locations around the world.
Beyond expanding access to astronomical data, the initiative demonstrates how international partnerships can support scientific discovery, encourage public engagement, and strengthen cooperation in astronomy and space research as the global observing network continues to grow.
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and the founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com. To contact Chrissy with a story, please email chrissy @ thedebrief.org.