European rocket startup Latitude signs deal to launch from Oman’s Etlaq spaceport
Active and proposed Middle East spaceports
The European rocket startup Latitude and the nation of Oman have now signed a letter of intent whereby Latitude will in late 2027 do the first experimental launch of a rocket from Oman’s Etlaq spaceport near the village of Duqm.
Under the agreement, Etlaq, Oman’s commercial spaceport operator, and Latitude, a French commercial launch service provider, will establish a framework for the first experimental launch of Latitude’s launch vehicle from Etlaq Spaceport. The launch is currently targeted for late 2027.
The two companies will also work together on developing the necessary ground infrastructure, operational planning and regulatory preparations required to support future launch operations.
The announcement was vague as to the nature of the rocket, making no mention of Latitude’s Zephyr rocket, suggesting that this first test launch would be not be orbital, but be a suborbital flight. At the same time, Latitude in January 2026 had said it would launch Zephyr for the first time in 2027, and that the launch would not be from French Guiana. Yesterday’s deal with Oman fits that early announcement.
Latitude is the third European rocket startup to sign a deal with Oman’s Duqm spaceport. PLD signed an agreement in 2025, and HyImpulse did the same one month ago.
Those earlier deals were only agreements to consider the idea. This new deal with Latitude seems more firm as to an actual launch. Note however that Oman announced an aggressive suborbital launch schedule of Middle Eastern rocket startups in 2025, none of which happened. We must therefore recognize that a strong element of blarney exists in all these announcements.
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