Türkiye begins building Somalia spaceport after completing feasibility, design work
Türkiye has completed feasibility and design studies for a new spaceport in Somalia and begun the first phase of construction, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said Tuesday, marking a strategic push to secure independent access to space and a foothold in the global launch market.
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The announcement followed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks at a joint news conference in Istanbul with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, where he outlined Ankara’s plan to establish the facility under a bilateral cooperation agreement. The site sits on land allocated to Türkiye by Somalia as part of that deal, Kacir told state-run Anadolu Agency.
Kacir said Somalia emerged as “the most advantageous region” for Türkiye’s spaceport investment after feasibility studies assessed locations near the equator, which offer technical benefits for orbital launches. Equatorial sites allow more efficient trajectories and can support higher payloads, enabling more flexible and cost-competitive launch schedules.
The project is being coordinated by the Ministry of Industry and Technology with contributions from relevant institutions, led by the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), under the “Access to Space and Space Port” objective in Türkiye’s National Space Program. No timeline or financial details were disclosed.
“Türkiye’s possession of a space port is a strategic step that will position our country as an independent, competitive and globally influential actor in space activities,” Kacir said, adding that the investment offers “long-term and high multiplier effect gains” for the space economy.
According to Kacir, the facility will first and foremost enable Türkiye to launch domestically developed satellite launch vehicles without relying on foreign ranges. He said the industrial base supporting the spaceport is expected to deepen in critical technologies such as rocket engines, fuel and propulsion systems, advanced materials, avionics and ground support infrastructure—capabilities he framed as essential to reducing external dependence.
The spaceport is designed to serve the global commercial market in addition to Türkiye’s national needs, Kacir said. He described a business model built on growing revenue from commercial satellite launches, testing and integration services, with the facility positioned as strategic infrastructure that also contributes to Somalia’s broader development. He cited the country’s coastal location, generally favorable launch weather and low air-sea traffic density as advantages for safe, efficient operations.
Few nations maintain independent launch sites, Kacir noted, calling Türkiye’s entry into that cohort a “historic milestone” for technological maturity, strategic autonomy and international standing. The minister said the spaceport will function as a “strategic lever” to strengthen national security and push Türkiye into the top tier of the global space economy.
The announcement underscores Ankara’s effort to move up the value chain in space, from satellite manufacturing to launch services. While the government has previously outlined ambitions to develop indigenous launch systems under the National Space Program, the Somalia spaceport would give Türkiye a year-round, near-equatorial site to deploy those vehicles and compete for commercial payloads.
Somalia, for its part, gains a high-profile investment tied to a sensitive and technically intensive industry, with the potential to attract ancillary infrastructure and services. Officials did not specify the exact location of the site, project cost or target date for operational readiness.
“Very few countries in the world have independent satellite launch infrastructure,” Kacir said. “Türkiye’s place in this league represents a historic milestone in terms of technological maturity, strategic independence and global prestige in the space sector.”
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
Wednesday December 31, 2025
