Recent Activity
Five-launch experimental manifest announced for 2025; DUQM-2 (Stellar Kinetics Kea-1) campaign in July 2025 ended in an ignition abort but validated ground systems and range coordination; Oman CAA spaceflight framework (CAD 5-01) issued October 2025.
Investor Brief
First-mover commercial launch infrastructure in the Gulf: gives MENA-region payloads and Western small-launch startups a low-latitude, regulation-light test range, and gives PLD Space a second global base outside Kourou. Execution risk centers on converting experimental suborbital cadence into orbital traffic by 2027.
Ownership
Parent Entity
Regulatory Regime
Anchor Tenants
Latitude Advantage
Launch Azimuth Range
Country
🇴🇲Oman
Region
Middle East
Established
2,023
Launches / Year
15
Years Active
3
Strategic Position
18.7862° N, 56.8220° E
Azimuth: Eastward and southward over the Arabian Sea / Indian Ocean
18.8°N — among the lowest-latitude launch sites in the Middle East; clear eastward overwater trajectories across the Arabian Sea toward LEO and modest GTO bonus vs. mid-latitude sites
Future Milestones
- 2026
Continued experimental launch campaigns under the CAD 5-01 framework
- 2027
PLD Space Miura 5 first orbital launch from Etlaq (anticipated as early as 2027)
About
Etlaq Spaceport near Duqm's Special Economic Zone on Oman's Arabian Sea coast is the Middle East and North Africa region's first commercial spaceport to conduct a launch. Developed by the National Aerospace Services Company (NASCOM, founded 2022) with Omantel as strategic partner, it flew the Duqm-1 experimental suborbital mission on 4 December 2024 and announced a five-launch experimental manifest for 2025 with partners from the UK, New Zealand, Portugal, and Kuwait. Oman's Civil Aviation Authority issued a national commercial spaceflight framework (CAD 5-01) in October 2025, and Spain's PLD Space has designated Etlaq as a second global launch base for Miura 5, with first flights anticipated as early as 2027.
Key Features
First commercial spaceport launch in the MENA region — Duqm-1, 4 December 2024
Low-latitude (18.8°N) Arabian Sea coast with open eastward and southward overwater corridors
2025 experimental launch manifest announced — five test launches with UK, NZ, Portuguese, and Kuwaiti partners
Oman CAA Civil Aviation Directive CAD 5-01 (October 2025) — launch-window approvals in as little as 45 days, no annual launch cap
PLD Space Miura 5 orbital launches planned from Etlaq starting as early as 2027
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
Duqm-1 (4 December 2024) — first launch from a MENA commercial spaceport (experimental suborbital)
DUQM-2 (July 2025) — Stellar Kinetics Kea-1 campaign; ignition abort due to actuator fault, ground-systems milestones achieved
PLD Space Miura 5 orbital flights planned from 2027