Oman is planning to launch five rockets from its developing spaceport this year – starting in April – with a fan zone to be opened in the coming months to allow the public to witness the series of landmark lift-offs.
The Etlaq spaceport, which has been in the works since 2023, is in southern Duqm and is set to have three launch complexes where vehicles of various sizes will blast off into the skies.
The announcement of the fan zone, which is expected to be introduced this summer and will be free of charge, was made at the Etlaq conference in Muscat on Thursday. The timeline of the launches for this year was also unveiled.
Zainab Alsalhi, business development manager for Etlaq, said that a registration portal for those interested in attending the launch will soon be made available on the company’s website and promoted on their social media platforms.
“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.
It is not yet clear how far the fan zone will be from the launch site, but binoculars will be provided for an enhanced view. There will also be a live launch feed so the public can join the countdown to lift-off.
The ticket will be valid for the launch window in case lift-off is postponed because of weather or technical issues.
The site has already hosted its first launch in December, when an experimental vehicle lifted-off from the pad. It is capable of reaching 140km above sea level, however, it was not clear what altitude it flew to during this flight.
Th launch was part of the the Duqm-1 mission, and the upcoming ones will be the Unity-1 mission in late April, Duqm-2 is expected in late June, Duqm-3 in October, Ambition-3 in November, and Duqm-4 in December.
The spaceport is giving an opportunity to start-up launch companies to test their high-altitude and suborbital rockets, including the Kuwait Space Rockets organisation, which will launch the Ambition-3 vehicle 15km above sea level.
The multiple space launches and fan zone are part of Etlaq’s Genesis Programme, which was launched on Thursday as a stepping stone for the start of the spaceport's commercial operations in 2027.
“We believe such a heritage is a fundamental prerequisite to have before commercial spaceport operations in 2027,” said Azzan Al Said, chairman of the National Aerospace Services Company (Nascom) – the company overseeing the Etlaq project.
“The programme is designed to break down the absolute essential elements of planning and conducting rocket launches.
“To achieve this, from this year up until 2027, the programme will host as many launches as reasonably and safely as possible, with multiple launch companies operating suborbital and experimental launch vehicles.”
As the global space industry expands, more countries are developing spaceports to accommodate a growing demand for satellite launches, suborbital tourism and scientific missions.
In the UK, several new spaceports are under development, including Spaceport Cornwall, which has already hosted its first launch attempt, and upcoming vertical launch sites in Scotland, such as SaxaVord Spaceport and Sutherland Spaceport.
These facilities are positioning the UK as a key player in European small satellite launches.
Oman’s spaceport could similarly create new opportunities for neighbouring Arab nations looking to expand their presence in the space sector.
Mr Al Said said that the spaceport is being developed to meet US Federal Aviation Administration standards to attract international launch companies.
“The launcher can be by any company, as long as they are a suborbital or experimental launch company from a non-US sanctioned country, and that makes it easier for us to trust who we're doing business with, and also they'll be operating on the same safety standards that we are promoting,” he said.
While Oman will host traditional vertical launch pads, the UAE is looking to host horizontal ones. Radian Aerospace is developing a horizontal take-off and landing, single-stage, fully reusable spaceplane called Radian One. A prototype is being tested at a small airfield in Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is looking to enter the space tourism market by hosting high-altitude balloon flights, with companies like Halo Space planning to offer near-space experiences from the kingdom.
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