Oman has commenced construction of Zone 88, the country’s first scientific and economic zone dedicated to space industries and advanced technologies. Located within the Special Economic Zone in Duqm, the project is currently 25 percent complete, as reported by Bahiya Al Shuaibi, founder and CEO of Global Space and Technology Company, in an interview with Duqm Economist magazine.
Zone 88 will feature five key projects, including a space habitat centre, commercial space launching area, unmanned vehicle technology centre, artificial intelligence and advanced technology testing area, and a ground station. The space habitat centre is designed to simulate living environments on Mars and the Moon, allowing researchers to study astronaut behavior before they embark on manned space missions. It will also serve as a training hub and support scientific tourism, according to Al Shuaibi.
The other projects within Zone 88 aim to address the growing needs of the space sector in the region. These include a commercial launch platform, a drone technology centre, and an experimentation zone.
According to a white paper from Euroconsult released in January 2024, the Middle East space sector is expected to reach a value of $75 billion by 2032, with spending forecast to increase by 92% over the next decade. The region’s space economy has tripled in the past decade, reaching an estimated $25 billion in 2023.
