French micro-launcher startup Latitude announced on July 1 that it has signed a strategic letter of intent to conduct the debut flight of its small launch vehicle from Etlaq Spaceport in the Sultanate of Oman.
The experimental first flight is scheduled for late 2027, transforming the coastal Omani spaceport from a sounding rocket site into an active gateway for orbital spaceflight. The high-profile diplomatic agreement was finalized on the sidelines of an official state visit by Oman’s leader, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said, to Paris for bilateral security and trade talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Feasibility Studies Underway for “Our Launcher”
Technical teams from both Latitude and Etlaq have spent the past several weeks conducting on-site engineering and safety evaluations at the southern Omani facility. The signing of the letter of intent formally advances the project into a comprehensive operational preparatory phase.
“This preparatory phase will allow both parties to precisely assess the technical and operational conditions required for the success of this first campaign,”
– Latitude Statement
Latitude has spent several years developing a lightweight, two-stage micro-launcher designed to inject payloads of up to 200 kilograms into low Earth orbit (LEO).
[7 Navier Sea-Level Engines] ──> [19-Meter Micro-Launcher] ──> [200kg Max Payload to LEO]
The 19-meter rocket was historically developed under the moniker Zephyr, but Latitude recently dropped the name due to aerospace trademark conflicts, choosing to refer to the vehicle simply as “our launcher.” The company recently crossed a crucial manufacturing gate, successfully logging two full-duration hot-fire tests of its proprietary, 3D-printed Navier engine, which serves as the core propulsion system for both stages.
Oman Emerges as Europe’s Alternative Launch Hub
While Latitude’s long-term commercial strategy is anchored to a permanent, €8 million dedicated pad facility currently under development at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, the company emphasized that launching from the Arabian Peninsula serves as a critical strategic complement.
The move establishes Oman as an increasingly vital node for European launch providers seeking to bypass geographic or institutional backlogs on the continent. Latitude is the third major European launch company to reserve pad space at Etlaq.
European Manifest Allocations at Etlaq Spaceport
| Launch Provider | Country of Origin | Rocket Class | Planned Operations / Trajectory |
| PLD Space | Spain | Miura 5 (Orbital) | Signed strategic launch agreement in Feb 2025. |
| HyImpulse | Germany | SR75 / SL1 | Signed LOI for suborbital and orbital vehicles in June 2026. |
| Latitude | France | Unnamed (Orbital) | Late 2027 inaugural experimental launch. |
Geopolitical Sovereignty in Space Race 2.0
Beyond pure technical logistics, leaders from both entities heavily emphasized that the agreement carries deep sovereign and geopolitical weight as low Earth orbit becomes highly contested territory.
Oman views the inclusion of European commercial players as the baseline foundation for its national ambition to serve as the premier Middle Eastern space hub. Meanwhile, French defense and space officials see the partnership as a vital tool to preserve European industrial soft power.
“Space has become an arena where tomorrow’s strategic balances are being shaped..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.” – Olivier Zarrouati, Chairman of Latitude’s Strategic Committee.
