SNG: France eyes commercial rocket launch from Al Duqm

By Zawya09:28 (UTC), 5 October 2026 Updated

By Staff Writer

MUSCAT - France hopes to see the first commercial rocket launch from Oman’s spaceport in Duqm next year, French Ambassador Nabil Hajlaoui said on Sunday, as government officials, space companies and investors met in Muscat to discuss the next phase of the Sultanate of Oman’s space industry.

Speaking at the opening of the Oman Space Conference 2026, Hajlaoui said the gathering followed agreements signed in Paris last June during the official visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to France. One of the agreements covered space and the space industry.

“We are here to implement all this,” Hajlaoui said.

He said Oman was building “not only one company but the whole industry”, and that France saw itself as part of that effort as one of the world’s major space powers.

“As you know, France is the only European country that masters the whole chain of the space industry and one of the few countries in the world that have this capacity,” he said.

According to Hajlaoui, France’s national space agency, CNES, cooperates closely with Omani partners, as does Airbus Defence and Space in the satellite industry. Smaller French companies are also involved, including launch company Latitude.

He congratulated Omani partners on a launch from Duqm a few days earlier, describing it as a success that demonstrated the potential of Oman’s approach.

“We hope that this cooperation will grow in the future,” he said. “We hope that more and more French companies will be here.” Hajlaoui also stressed the importance of raising awareness of the sector’s work, linking its development to Oman Vision 2040, economic growth and opportunities for younger generations.

The conference is the first in-person event organised by SpaceTech in Gulf and brings together around 50 senior leaders from government and space organisations.

It is presented by Access Partnership and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. Oman Lens and Mohammed Al Barwani Satellites (MBSAT) are conference partners, while Rocket Elements and Technologies (RE&T) is the supporting partner.