By Asha Elmi - Reporter
ANTALYA, 9 October 2026 – Türkiye plans to use its spaceport under construction in Somalia to launch its own rockets and missiles, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said on Friday, outlining Ankara's ambition to achieve independent access to space.
Speaking at a panel titled "The Future Starts Here: Technology, Space and the Next Generation" during the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026) in Antalya, Kacır said the facility would strengthen Türkiye's ability to develop and launch its own vehicles while positioning it to meet growing global demand for launch services.
"Türkiye is building a spaceport in Somalia, at a location very close to the equator," Kacır said, adding that the facility was being constructed on a vast area allocated to Türkiye.
He said the location would offer advantages for space launches, including potentially lower costs and more opportunities for launches and tests because of the region's proximity to the equator and relatively less congested launch traffic.
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Kacır described independent access to space as one of Türkiye's most important strategic goals, saying the country needed its own spaceport and the capacity to develop and manufacture launch vehicles using domestic capabilities.
"Therefore, the Somali spaceport will represent a very important milestone in Türkiye's quest for fully independent access to space," he said.
The remarks follow President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's announcement earlier this week that construction of the planned spaceport in Somalia was underway. Erdoğan said the project would strengthen Türkiye's access to space and contribute to the development of Africa's space sector.
The project forms part of Türkiye's broader National Space Programme, which seeks to expand the country's space technology and launch capabilities. The minister did not specify which types of rockets and missiles would be launched from it.à