MOGADISHU, Somalia – Türkiye is set to build a spaceport on Somalia’s coast that will serve as a crucial test site for its developing long-range missile program, a move that solidifies Ankara’s growing military and strategic influence in the Horn of Africa.

The facility, to be managed by the Türkiye Space Agency (TUA), will be a dual-use space and missile launch center, according to official statements. The project, announced by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in December 2024, represents a significant deepening of the defense and economic partnership between the two nations.

“This is a collaborative effort with our strategic partner, Türkiye,” President Mohamud stated during the announcement in Mogadishu.

Construction on the sprawling 900-square-kilometer site along the Indian Ocean is expected to begin shortly after a bidding process concludes in the coming weeks. Officials estimate the project will cost approximately $350 million and be completed within two years, establishing what is poised to be the African continent’s premier space launch facility.

Strategic military implications

While the spaceport will support civilian satellite launches, its primary strategic value for Ankara lies in its capacity as a testing ground for advanced weapons systems. The facility’s location on the Indian Ocean provides an unpopulated, expansive area for safely testing missiles with ranges far exceeding Türkiye’s current capabilities.

Ankara plans to test missiles with ranges of over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) by launching them over the ocean, ensuring debris does not endanger neighboring countries or populated areas.

This capability is critical for Türkiye’s defense industry. The country’s most advanced operational missile, the TAYFUN, is a short-range ballistic missile with a publicly declared range of up to 561 kilometers, as confirmed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a 2022 test.

Erdogan has publicly stated his ambition to expand this arsenal. “We will now accelerate our work on missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers,” he said following the TAYFUN test. The Somali facility provides the indispensable geographical and logistical solution to achieve that goal.

The spaceport agreement is the latest and most ambitious development in a long-standing strategic relationship. Türkiye is one of Somalia’s most important international partners, providing extensive humanitarian aid, economic investment, and military support for over a decade.

Ankara operates its largest overseas military base, Camp TURKSOM, in Mogadishu, where its forces have trained thousands of Somali National Army soldiers in their fight against the al-Shabaab insurgency.

A deepening alliance

This cooperation was formalized in February 2024 when the two countries signed a far-reaching Defense and Economic Cooperation Agreement. The 10-year pact grants Türkiye authority to help defend Somalia’s extensive coastline and rebuild its naval forces.

The deal was widely seen as a response to a controversial port access agreement between landlocked Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland, which Mogadishu deemed an infringement of its sovereignty.

For Türkiye, the Somali spaceport is a key component of its National Space Program, an ambitious road map established in 2021 to make the country a major player in the global space industry. The program’s goals include achieving a lunar landing, developing satellite technologies, and establishing a spaceport.

The choice of Somalia is highly strategic. A location near the equator offers significant advantages for space launches. The Earth’s rotational speed is greatest at the equator, providing a natural velocity boost to rockets. This “slingshot effect” allows for launching heavier payloads with greater fuel efficiency compared to launches from higher latitudes.

By establishing this facility, Türkiye not only secures a critical asset for its defense industry but also positions itself to compete in the lucrative commercial satellite launch market, challenging established space powers and marking a bold entry into the 21st-century space race.