Tara Atkinson for Rest of World
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.
