The Etlaq spaceport in Oman announced on Thursday that it plans to conduct five rocket launches in 2025, beginning in April. The spaceport will provide a “fan zone” for spectators to watch the launches.
Etlaq business manager Zainab Alsalhi said a registration portal will soon be established on the spaceport’s website for those interested in observing the launches.
“I’m happy to introduce one of the best experiences at the launch event: the fan zone. Most of you have been dreaming of watching the moment of launch and that’s why we’ve created this opportunity,” she said.
Alsalhi said the fan zone will include binoculars and a live feed from mission control, so the audience can join in the countdown for each launch.
The Etlaq project was launched in 2022 by the National Aerospace Services Company (NASCOM), the leading aerospace company in the sultanate of Oman. Etlaq is the first major space launch complex in Oman, and in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region. The location was chosen for both good space launch trajectories, as it lies close to the equator, and for convenience to international partners.
The spaceport was inaugurated with its first launch on December 8, 2024 – an experimental rocket called Duqm-1 named after the town closest to the launch facility. Duqm is a port city designated by the sultanate as its “gateway to the world” and “pathway to the future,” playing a key role in Oman’s plan to diversify its petroleum-dependent economy.
The Duqm-1 launch was dubbed a “success” by NASCOM and Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology, clearing the way for the ambitious 2025 launch schedule.
“We’re excited to unveil five missions this year, featuring international collaborations with partners from the UK, New Zealand, and Kuwait,” Etlaq Chief Commercial Officer (COO) Julanda al-Riyami said on Thursday.
Al-Riyami said Etlaq hopes to “achieve an ideal rate of 10, 20, or even 30-plus launches per year.”
The April launch will involve a vehicle called Unity-1, developed with a U.K. company called Advanced Rocket Technologies. The next vehicle in the Duqm series, Duqm-2, is scheduled for launch in June in partnership with a New Zealand company called Stellar Kinetics.
A much more complex rocket dubbed Duqm-3 is scheduled for liftoff in October, followed by Kuwait’s Ambition-3, and then Duqm-4 in November.
If all of those launches achieve their goals, Etlaq hopes to become a commercially viable launch operation by 2027. Oman calls its agenda for developing a “national heritage” of commercial spaceflight the “Genesis Program.”
“From now until 2027, our goal is to host as many launches as possible – within safety and feasibility limits – using multiple launch companies operating suborbital and experimental launch vehicles,” said Etlaq CEO Sayyid Azzan bin Qais al-Said, a member of the Omani royal family.
On Friday, Spanish launch service provider PLD Space announced it has selected Etlaq as the second operational launch site for its MIURA family of rockets. The first site is located in Kourou, French Guiana. PLD Space expects to designate a third launch site in the “near future.”
“Given the current shortage of launch infrastructure, we are excited to announce this strategic collaboration with Etlaq, which presents itself as a strategic solution to meet the needs of our customers globally,” said PLD Space co-founder Raul Verdu.
“We will begin working with Etlaq on the design, engineering, and construction of our launch base with the goal of performing the first MIURA 5 flight from there in 2027,” Verdu said.
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