Oman's Duqm spaceport plans five launches in 2025

A 6.5-metre tall rocket, named Duqm-1, rose to an altitude of 140km above sea level, crossing the Karman line, recognised as the boundary of space, at speeds of up to 1,530 m/s.

Chief commercial officer, Julanda al Riyami, announced the company’s plans at a press conference in February. “We’re excited to unveil five missions this year, featuring international collaborations with partners from the UK, New Zealand, and Kuwait,” al Riyami said.

“The goal is to establish a cadence, enabling multiple planned launches in parallel. This will help us achieve an ideal rate of 10, 20, or even 30+ launches yearly.”

He added that while some launches are designed to test landing systems, others will focus on other aspects, such as on-stage separation or fuel efficiency.

The next rocket launch, called Unity-1, is expected in April and will be facilitated by UK-based launch company Advanced Propulsion Technologies. The second will be the launch of the Duqm-2 rocket in June, facilitated by New Zealand-based Stellar Kinetics, in partnership with Etlaq’s parent company, NASCOM.

Al Riyami said a more complex launch, utilising different parameters and operational procedures, is scheduled for October for rocket Duqm-3.

The fourth launch, scheduled for November, is Kuwait Space Rocket’s Ambition-3. The last launch of this year, currently scheduled for December, is once again for Duqm-3. Etlaq’s full-scale commercial operations are scheduled for 2027.

Earlier, in a keynote address, Etlaq CEO, HH Sayyid Azzan bin Qais al Said, commented: “From now until 2027, our goal is to host as many launches as possible, within safety and feasibility limits, using multiple launch companies operating suborbital and experimental launch vehicles.”