Turkey plans spaceport in Somalia for $1bn moon mission

Turkey’s recently announced a space programme, which aims to make a soft landing on the moon in 2028, will cost upwards of $1bn and would require building a rocket launch site in Somalia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed last week an ambitious timetable that has two separate stages, with the aim of making contact with the moon on unmanned missions.

Ankara plans to make a hard landing on the moon with a locally produced hybrid rocket that would be launched into orbit in 2023, the republic’s centennial, through international cooperation.

The second stage aims to have a soft landing on the moon in 2028 with Turkey’s own capabilities, which would involve a shuttle that would carry out scientific research on the Earth’s natural satellite. 

Somalia isn’t a stranger for space enthusiasts: France also considered using the country to host a spaceport in the 1960s due to its close proximity to the equator, which makes it more suitable for rocket launches.