--- aliases: - Turki bin Saud - Turki bin Saud Al Saud - Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed - Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud - Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - Turki Saud Mohammad Al Saud - تركي بن سعود بن محمد category: Scientists & Researchers created: 2026-10-13 location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia relations: - end: 2021-04 fn: 9 role: president start: 2015-02 type: head_of with: '[[King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology]]' - end: 2015 fn: 8 role: director of the Space Research Institute, then vice president for research institutes start: 1997 type: employed_by with: '[[King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology]]' - fn: 2 role: adviser with the rank of minister start: 2018-12-27 type: employed_by with: '[[Saudi Royal Court]]' - fn: 3 role: board member type: director_of with: '[[Saudi Space Commission]]' - fn: 8 role: chairman of the board type: director_of with: '[[Taqnia]]' - fn: 6 role: brother (both sons of Saud bin Mohammed) type: relative_of with: '[[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]' - fn: 6 role: nephew (son of his brother Bader) type: relative_of with: '[[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]' - fn: 4 role: person with significant control, 75 percent or more of shares and votes start: 2024-05-13 type: owned with: '[[Pulsed Fusion Energy Ltd]]' - fn: 4 role: person with significant control, 75 percent or more of shares and votes start: 2024-05-18 type: owned with: '[[European Launch System Ltd]]' - fn: 4 role: person with significant control, 75 percent or more of shares and votes start: 2024-06-02 type: owned with: '[[Solid Orbit Ltd]]' - fn: 4 start: 2026-08-13 type: director_of with: '[[Pulsed Fusion Energy Ltd]]' - fn: 4 start: 2026-08-13 type: director_of with: '[[European Launch System Ltd]]' - fn: 4 start: 2026-08-13 type: director_of with: '[[Solid Orbit Ltd]]' summary: Saudi prince and aerospace engineer, president of KACST from 2015 to 2021, royal court adviser with ministerial rank from 2018, and controlling owner of three UK fusion, launch and satellite-equipment companies. tags: - Person - SaudiArabia - SaudiRoyalFamily - KACST - SpaceProgram - Satellites - AerospaceEngineering - CompaniesHouse updated: 2026-10-13 --- Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud is a Saudi aerospace engineer who headed the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), the national science agency that builds and operates Saudi Arabia's satellites, from 2015 to 2021. In December 2018 he was made an adviser to the Saudi Royal Court with the rank of minister, and he sits on the board of the Saudi Space Commission. Companies House lists him as director and 75 percent or greater owner of three UK companies in fusion research, launch systems and communications equipment.[^1][^2][^3][^4] ### Name The royal order of December 27, 2018 gives the name as "Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud."[^2] The Saudi Space Commission lists him as "H.H. Dr. Turki Saud Mohammad AL Saud," and the KACST release of April 2015 gives "Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud."[^3][^5] The Companies House officer records read "Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD," with the style "H.H. Prince."[^4] His father was Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a poet and a member of the line of Saud bin Faisal bin Turki Al Saud. The Royal Court announced his death on December 29, 2015 (18 Rabi al-Thani 1437), with prayers at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.[^6][^7] He is a different man from Turki bin Saud Al Kabeer, and from Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd Al Saud, who became a minister of state in the same royal orders of December 27, 2018.[^2] ### Education and KACST career He holds a PhD in aeronautics and astronautics from [Stanford University](/organizations/stanford-university/). In 1997 he joined KACST as director of the newly established Space Research Institute, and in 2004 he became its vice president for research institutes. He chaired the KACST scientific council.[^8] He took over as president of KACST in the first days of February 2015 (his appointment is dated January 29, 2015), after Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel, the previous president, was named minister of communications and information technology.[^8][^9] Munir El-Desouki was appointed president by royal decree on April 19, 2021.[^10] Alongside the presidency he chaired the supervisory committee of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan, the supervisory committee of the King Abdullah Initiative for Solar Water Desalination, and the board of Taqnia (the Technology Development and Investment Company), and he served on the advisory council of the Stanford School of Engineering.[^8] ### Satellites and foreign partners On April 28, 2015, Arabsat and KACST announced contracts for [Lockheed Martin](/organizations/lockheed-martin/) to build two A2100 communications satellites, Arabsat 6A and Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1, with a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and TAQNIA Space Company in which KACST was the technology partner. The release quotes him: "KACST will elevate local satellite technologies competency through the Joint Venture with Lockheed Martin and TAQNIA Space Company."[^5] Lockheed Martin reported a production milestone for both satellites on May 31, 2016, and SaudiGeoSat-1/Hellas-Sat-4 launched on February 5, 2019.[^11] In May 2018 a KACST optical camera flew on the Longjiang-2 microsatellite, which launched with the Chang'e-4 lunar relay satellite from China; it returned images of the Earth and the Moon from lunar orbit.[^12] ### Royal Court and Space Commission The royal orders of December 27, 2018 appointed him an adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of minister, in the same set of orders that reconstituted the Council of Ministers.[^2] The Saudi Space Commission, which was established in December 2018 with Abdullah Al-Swaha as chairman, lists him as a board member beside Al-Swaha and Mohammed Al-Suwaiyel.[^3] ### Family Al-Jazirah published a biography of Saud bin Mohammed on January 22, 2016, which names more than thirty children and lists among his sons "Prince Dr. Turki, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology" and "Prince Dr. Colonel Paratrooper (Badr)," then of the special force for the security of the Grand Mosque, whose mother was Princess Al-Anoud bint Abdullah Al-Furm. The same list names Abdulaziz "al-Samer" and Dr. Saad "al-Munadi," both poets.[^6] Bader is [Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud](/people/bader-bin-saud-bin-mohammed-al-saud/), whose son is [Khalid bin Bader Al Saud](/people/khalid-bin-bader-al-saud/), the founder of [Echelon (company)](/organizations/echelon-company/). Turki is Khalid's paternal uncle.[^6] ### UK companies Companies House records three private limited companies sharing a registered office in Northamptonshire. Each lists Turki as a director appointed on August 13, 2026, with Saudi Arabian nationality, residence in Saudi Arabia, and a date of birth of October 1957; a corporate service provider (Higgins Fairbairn & Co) is recorded as having verified his identity on November 25, 2025.[^4] A biographical aggregator gives his date of birth as October 3, 1953.[^13] Pulsed Fusion Energy Ltd (company 15717442) was incorporated on May 13, 2024 as ROBOT XI LIMITED and took its present name on November 12, 2024. Its business code is 72190, other research and experimental development in natural sciences and engineering. European Launch System Ltd (15727737) was incorporated on May 18, 2024, and Solid Orbit Ltd (15755615) on June 2, 2024; both carry code 26309, manufacture of communication equipment. Each register lists Turki as the one person with significant control since the day of incorporation, with 75 percent or more of the shares and voting rights and the right to appoint and remove directors.[^4] The other director of each company is Simon Evans (born June 1958, British), appointed on the incorporation date of the company; Solid Orbit has a third director, Daniel Malcolm Jubb (born February 1984, British), appointed on September 9, 2026.[^4] [^1]: UK Companies House, personal appointments of Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/dysOEwiK9fb-UPNURIGrzji6LrQ/appointments (two further officer records of the same name: vDxbbcKSX0WR9FEqBk4VxtXXHpA and gudeHKjyPtgOMcMohsf3Q9COOME). [^2]: Al Bayan, "Royal orders," December 27, 2018, https://www.albayan.ae/one-world/arabs/2018-12-27-1.3444982: "Appointment of Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of minister" (Arabic). Saudi Press Agency text of the order: https://x.com/spagov/status/1078273878621896704. [^3]: Saudi Space Commission, "About us," board of directors, Wayback capture of May 29, 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20230529165034/https://saudispace.gov.sa/en/about-us/. Lists "H.H. Dr. Turki Saud Mohammad AL Saud, Member." [^4]: UK Companies House: PULSED FUSION ENERGY LTD. (15717442), EUROPEAN LAUNCH SYSTEM LTD (15727737) and SOLID ORBIT LTD (15755615), overview, officers and persons with significant control pages, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15717442, /15727737 and /15755615. PSC notified May 13, May 18 and June 2, 2024. Higgins Fairbairn & Co ACSP verification checks completed November 25, 2025. [^5]: PR Newswire, "Arabsat and KACST Award Lockheed Martin Contract to Provide Satellite Systems," April 28, 2015, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arabsat-and-kacst-award-lockheed-martin-contract-to-provide-satellite-systems-to-strengthen-tv-internet-telephone-communication-300073148.html. Quotation by "Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud, President of KACST." [^6]: Al-Jazirah, "Saud bin Mohammed: journey and history," January 22, 2016, https://www.al-jazirah.com/2016/20160122/wa1.htm (Arabic). Gives his name as Saud bin Mohammed (al-Mutawwa) bin Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Faisal bin Turki; lists his sons, among them Turki and Badr; states that he died on the morning of Tuesday 18-3-1437 AH. [^7]: Saudi Press Agency via Argaam, "Royal Court: death of Prince Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz," December 29, 2015, https://www.argaam.com/ar/article/articledetail/id/402458 (also Al-Riyadh, https://alriyadh.com/1114485). [^8]: International Astronautical Federation, biography of Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammad Al Saud, https://www.iafastro.org/biographie/turki-bin-saud-bin-mohammad-al-saud.html. Stanford PhD in aeronautics and astronautics; joined KACST in 1997 as director of the Space Research Institute; vice president for research institutes 2004; chairman of the KACST scientific council; "In January 29, 2015 he was appointed as the President of KACST"; chairman of the NSTIP and solar desalination supervisory committees and of the board of Taqnia. [^9]: Arab News, "KACST embarks on new era under Prince Turki," February 3, 2015, https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/kacst-embarks-on-new-era-under-prince-turki-698736. "Prince Turki bin Saud, Vice President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for Research Institutes, took over as its president on Sunday," succeeding Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel. [^10]: Arab News, "Who's Who: Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki, president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology," April 21, 2021, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1846711/saudi-arabia. Appointed by royal decree on April 19, 2021. [^11]: Lockheed Martin, "Lockheed Martin, Arabsat and KACST Achieve Significant Milestone on Arabsat 6A and Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1," May 31, 2016, https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2016-05-31-Lockheed-Martin-Arabsat-and-KACST-Achieve-Significant-Milestone-on-Arabsat-6A-and-Hellas-Sat-4-SaudiGeoSat-1-Satellite-Production. [^12]: SpaceNews, "China looks to build space partnerships with Gulf nations," December 2022, https://spacenews.com/china-looks-to-build-space-partnerships-with-gulf-nations/. "A small camera from the King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST) flew on the Longjiang-2 (DSLWP-B) lunar microsatellite launched with a relay satellite for the Chang'e-4 lunar far side landing." Launch date: The Planetary Society, "Lunar Orbiter Longjiang-2 Smashes into Moon," https://www.planetary.org/articles/longjiang-2-impacts-moon. [^13]: Manhom, profile of Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, https://manhom.com/شخصيات/الأمير-تركي-بن-سعود-بن-محمد-آل-سعود/. Gives his birth as October 3, 1953. --- *The Info Web has an MCP server for agents at https://theinfoweb.org/mcp (streamable HTTP, no auth): search by meaning, exact text, source or date, and follow typed, footnoted connections. Setup and the same tools over GET: https://theinfoweb.org/llms.txt*