Saturday 03 / October / 2026
Duqm: The "Etlaq" spaceport in Duqm successfully conducted a trial launch of the Azad Dreamer rocket as part of the Karman X1 space mission.
The 4.3-metre-long rocket, weighing 26 kg, was launched from the spaceport and followed a stable upward trajectory, with flight data accurately transmitted to the mission control centre. The rocket reached its designated target altitude within the test range.
The mission was not intended to reach space, but focused on testing the launch process, rocket performance during flight, and the technologies and systems used in the mission.
Karman X1 marks the second successful launch conducted from the Duqm spaceport, following the successful Duqm-1 launch in December 2024.
The Omani spaceport team prepared the launch site, supported the integration of the rocket components and managed safety operations at the launch range. The mission forms part of the Formation programme, established by Launch in 2024 to facilitate suborbital and experimental rocket launches, with a focus on speed, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and adaptability.
The mission also contributes to strengthening the expertise of Omani teams in launch operations and international cooperation, while supporting the development of commercial launch capabilities from the Sultanate of Oman.
HH Sayyid Azzan bin Qais Al Said, CEO of the Space Launch Port, said Karman X1 was the first mission at the facility to bring together an Omani launch operator, Stellar Kinetics MCT, Singapore-based OculloSpace, and Australian company Orbit2Orbit, whose payload was carried by the rocket.
He noted that the mission reflects the spaceport’s expanding and diversified international partnerships and its ability to attract space launch missions from different countries.
Sayyid Azzan described the launch as an important milestone for the spaceport, demonstrating Oman’s ability to connect international partners and build operational expertise through successive missions.
The Duqm spaceport project is among the strategic projects supported by the National Space Programme of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology under the space sector infrastructure pillar. It aims to attract investment, transfer technology and support its localisation in Oman.
