By HAN News Desk
ANKARA — The Turkish government has announced that it has begun work on a satellite launch base in Somalia, a project officials say will position the Horn of Africa nation as one of the world’s most strategically placed space launch locations.
Selçuk Bayraktar, the chief technology officer of Turkey’s defense company Baykar, revealed the plans during a recent briefing. He said Turkey is setting up a space launch facility in Somalia, close to the Equator — a location highly prized in global aerospace operations.
“Turkey has a space launch base in Somalia, near the Equator. If you have a coastline stretching along a vast ocean, you have the ability to launch rockets. There are only 12 such suitable locations in the world, and one of the best is the site being developed in Somalia,” Bayraktar said.
According to Bayraktar, the project will cover a 30-kilometre stretch of land and will involve collaboration with ROKETSAN, Turkey’s leading missile and aerospace technology manufacturer. The company is expected to use the facility to conduct specialized high-altitude aerospace operations, including satellite launches and the testing of advanced rocket systems.
If completed, the Somalia-based launch site would become one of the most technologically significant infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the country, and it would mark a major expansion of Turkey–Somalia strategic cooperation, which has grown rapidly over the past decade through military, economic, and humanitarian partnerships.
Turkish officials say the Equatorial location offers major advantages for satellite launches, including lower fuel requirements and the ability to send heavier payloads into orbit — factors that have driven global interest in equatorial launch sites.
The project has not yet been publicly commented on by the Somali government, and details regarding timelines, funding, and operational control remain limited. However, analysts say such a facility could significantly deepen Ankara’s military and technological footprint in the region.
Turkey already operates its largest overseas military base in Mogadishu and is one of Somalia’s key security and development partners.
