Oman completed a much-anticipated test flight of a high-altitude rocket on Thursday, marking a significant step forward for the Middle East's soaring space ambitions.
The landmark launch from the underdevelopment Etlaq Spaceport in southern Duqm had been scheduled for lift-off on Wednesday, before being delayed due to adverse weather.
The 6.5-metre rocket, named Duqm-1, blasted off as conditions improved sufficiently to allow the maiden mission to get off the ground.
It is an experimental high-altitude launch vehicle designed to rise to an altitude of 140km above sea level, crossing the Karman line, recognised as the boundary of space, at speeds of 1,530 m/s.
“Oman successfully flies into space. The experimental scientific space rocket (Duqm-1) successfully launches into space, making history as the first space launch experiment in the Middle East,” Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology posted on X shortly before 11am on Thursday.
Oman said the momentous event had established its position as a “regional gateway to space”. The National Aerospace Services Company, which is overseeing the spaceport, conducted the launch.
“Oman’s geographical location near the equator and orbital paths reduces costs and time required for launching various payloads,” the MTCIT previously posted on X. “Its coastal stretch along the Arabian Sea offers a safe and ideal area for hosting space projects.”
The flight will help to test the suitability of the site's geography, environmental conditions and infrastructure for spaceport operations. It will also offer crucial insights into factors like wind patterns and launch logistics, as well as provide operational experience, paving the way for future space missions and the Sultanate moving closer to a fully functional spaceport.
What are Oman's ambitions in space?
After this launch, the National Aerospace Services Company, or Nascom, plans to carry out three more flights from the spaceport in 2025, with exact dates to be announced later. The organisation had told The National in a previous interview that commercial operations were expected to fully begin at the site by 2030.
Anna Hazlett, founder of space advisory firm AzurX, said Oman’s plans for a spaceport could also help create jobs locally. “The Duqm spaceport also presents economic benefits for Oman. Driving high-skilled job creation in aerospace engineering, logistics, and data analytics, while encouraging foreign investment in the country’s budding space sector,” she told The National in an earlier interview. “For neighbouring countries, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the spaceport represents a complementary platform for scientific collaboration and regional capacity-building efforts.”
The spaceport is being designed to accommodate all sizes of launch vehicles with three complexes to support micro, large orbital and suborbital rockets. Companies such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have considered the Middle East, especially the UAE, to launch their space tourism flights. But nothing has materialised so far, with reports that US regulations – specifically the International Traffic in Arms Regulations – restrict American companies from exporting certain technology.
Nascom said it was working to “remove that barrier” as it makes progress with its spaceport. The American company ABL Space Systems signed an agreement with Etlaq Spaceport to explore the possibility of launching its RS1 rockets.
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.
