French rocket builder Latitude has signed a letter of intent to conduct the planned inaugural flight of its launch vehicle from Oman’s Etlaq Spaceport. The company declined to disclose details of how the project would be funded.
Latitude is developing a small two-stage rocket that remains unnamed and will be capable of delivering payloads of up to 200 kilograms to low Earth orbit. As recently as June 2025, the company had said that the rocket’s inaugural flight would take place from a new shared launch facility being developed on the grounds of the Guiana Space Centre.
On 1 July 2026, the company announced alternative plans for the rocket’s inaugural flight, stating that a first “experimental launch” would take place from Oman’s Etlaq Spaceport in late 2027. While letters of intent are typically non-binding, a spokesperson for the company told European Spaceflight in an emailed statement that it expected detailed agreements to “follow in due course.”
“The Letter of Intent establishes the framework for cooperation between Latitude and Etlaq,” the spokesperson explained. “Our teams have already started working together on launcher integration, ground infrastructure, launch operations and the associated regulatory requirements. The detailed agreements will follow in due course, in compliance with the applicable regulations, including export control requirements.”
How the site will be developed or adapted and how this work will be funded remain unclear.
“Details regarding the funding model, ownership of the infrastructure and the associated investment are not being disclosed at this stage,” said the spokesperson.
In a 1 July press release, Latitude said growth in global demand for launch services had made it necessary to secure multiple dedicated launch sites, adding that its operations in Oman would act “as a complement to the Guiana Space Centre.” Etlaq offers “the schedule and operational conditions that best match this stage of our programme,” the spokesperson added.
A statement from Olivier Zarrouati, chairman of Latitude’s strategic committee, did, however, frame the agreement in broader strategic terms, presenting it as part of a shared French-Omani ambition to develop an independent space capability.
“Space has become an arena where tomorrow’s strategic balances are being shaped,” said Zarrouati. “This signing, on the sidelines of the meeting between President Macron and His Majesty the Sultan, is no coincidence: it reflects the shared ambition of France and Oman to build an independent space capability together. Latitude is proud to be its industrial vehicle.”
Latitude is one of three European launch companies to commit to launching from Oman. In February 2025, PLD Space announced that it had signed a “strategic agreement” with Etlaq Spaceport and planned to launch an initial flight from the facility in 2027. The company is currently working toward an inaugural flight of its MIURA 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in late 2026.
In early June 2026, Germany’s HyImpulse signed its own letter of intent to launch both its suborbital SR75 and orbital SL1 rockets from Etlaq. The company, however, has not stated when it expects to begin operations at the spaceport.
While Oman will host the inaugural launch of Latitude’s unnamed rocket, the company is also moving forward with plans for its Guiana Space Centre launchpad.
“At the Guiana Space Centre, the necessary authorisations have been obtained,” the spokesperson said. “The ground surveys have been completed, and construction works are expected to resume shortly.”
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