Private space investment in Oman jumps 270% since 2023

Summary

• Private investment in Oman's space sector reached 74 million rials in 2025, up 270% from 2023.
• Companies rose from 11 to 26 and employees from 152 to 400 over the same period.
• Space is being tied to Oman Vision 2040 and the economic diversification agenda.

The latest

Private investment in Oman's space sector climbed to 74 million Omani rials in 2025 from 20 million in 2023, a 270% increase, according to the National Space Program Harvest 2023-2025 report issued by the National Space Center for Advanced Technologies and Artificial Intelligence at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. The report describes the sector as moving from a founding phase into market building.

Details

• The investment curve: Private sector spending on space in Oman moved in three steps, according to the report: 20 million rials in 2023, 65 million in 2024, then 74 million in 2025. The steepest jump came between 2023 and 2024, with growth slowing in the final year measured.
• Companies: The number of firms operating in the sector rose from 11 in 2023 to 20 in 2024 and 26 in 2025, growth of 136%, the report said. It did not break the companies down by specialization or by domestic versus foreign ownership.
• Employment: Staff at government and private institutions working in the sector grew from 152 in 2023 to 241 in 2024 and 400 in 2025, an increase of 163%. That outpaced the growth in company count, pointing to larger average headcount per firm by the end of the period.
• Execution rate: Roughly 65% of space projects are now under implementation within the sector's policy and executive program, according to the report. The remaining share was not itemized, and no completion dates were attached to individual projects.
• Oman Sat-1: Oman signed an agreement with Airbus Defence and Space in November 2025 to design, manufacture and launch the Oman Sat-1 communications satellite, the report said. Operations are scheduled to begin in 2029. The value of the contract was not disclosed.
• Duqm launch site: The rocket launch project at Duqm is being carried out through the National Aerospace Services Company, Nascom, and targets commercial launch services by 2027. A first experimental launch of the Duqm-1 rocket took place in 2024, followed by the Duqm-2 mission in 2025.
• Artemis Accords: Oman joined the Artemis Accords on 26 January 2026, becoming the 61st member of the US-led framework governing cooperation in civil space exploration. The accession came after the three-year period covered by the report.
• Policy anchor: The National Space Program is linked to the Digital Economy Program and to Oman Vision 2040 within the country's economic diversification tracks, according to the report, placing space alongside other non-hydrocarbon sectors targeted for growth.

Background

Oman Vision 2040 is the national development framework aimed at reducing dependence on oil revenue by building non-hydrocarbon sectors. The space program sits inside that framework through the Digital Economy Program, which groups technology-driven industries as diversification targets.

Between the lines

The figures show investment growth decelerating sharply in the final year, rising 45 million rials between 2023 and 2024 but only 9 million between 2024 and 2025, while employment accelerated. Read together with the 65% implementation rate and the 2027 and 2029 target dates, the sector appears to be shifting from capital commitment toward delivery on projects already signed.

What's next

Two dated milestones define the near term: Nascom's target of commercial launch services from Duqm by 2027, and the scheduled start of Oman Sat-1 operations in 2029 under the Airbus agreement.

Source: Oman News Agency (ONA)