The world is increasingly reaching for the stars, but only a few countries have the ability to make it there. As of 2023, over 85 nations have space exploration programs, but only a dozen have active spaceports. This leaves the rest of the world dependent on countries such as the U.S., China, Russia, and France to carry out launches.
Last week, Rest of World reported on this global shortage of spaceports — and how Oman-based Etlaq is attempting to step in and help fill that gap. The company is building three launch complexes in a patch of desert near the Arabian Sea. It hopes to become a hub for smaller countries and private space companies to perform orbital and suborbital launches.
Oman hits the sweet spot for a new spaceport thanks to its political stability and location close to the equator. Because the Earth spins fastest at the equator, this provides an extra push for a rocket’s liftoff. Cape Canaveral, a leading U.S. spaceport in terms of total launches, sits at 28 degrees north. Etlaq sits at 18 degrees — only the European Space Agency’s port in French Guiana sits closer to the equator. Etlaq’s spaceport also gives out onto the Arabian Sea, where rocket debris can safely fall back down to Earth.
In 2023, the world sent 2,895 objects into space, roughly 500% more than it did five years prior. James Causey, executive director of the Global Spaceport Alliance, an international association for launch sites, told Rest of World the demand for launches is continuing to grow. “Today, [the bottleneck] is not that bad,” he said. “But the demand is definitely increasing.”
Four of the world’s 10 busiest spaceports are in the U.S. Russia and China each operate two. There are no commercial spaceports in the Middle East or Africa. Etlaq could open doors for smaller countries with off-planet ambitions and decrease dependence on the world’s major powers.
Despite a few setbacks in the form of cancelled launches, Etlaq officials remain optimistic about their approach. They have focused on upskilling, while gradually improving their launch capabilities. “Oman is a country that has been in the forefront of exploration with seafaring,” said chief commercial officer Julanda Al-Riyami, referring to the country’s ancient mariners. “Now it’s space.”