Ankara (Somalia Today) – Turkey’s planned spaceport in Somalia is set to deepen security and defence ties between Ankara and Mogadishu, a senior Turkish official said on Wednesday, describing the initiative as a strategic step that goes beyond aerospace ambitions.
The project, which would see Turkey build a launch facility on the Horn of Africa’s Indian Ocean coast, has been framed by Ankara as a civilian effort to support its emerging national space programme.
But Burhanettin Duran, a senior aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stressed that the facility could also open “new opportunities” in military and security cooperation.
“I think that this exciting project will not only enhance the international standing of Turkey and Somalia but also pave the way for new opportunities in many areas, including security, the defence industry, and technology sharing,” Duran told a panel in Ankara on Wednesday.
Duran, who heads the Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate, described the spaceport as one of the most important partnerships in the expanding alliance between the two countries.
Strategic geography
Construction of the facility began in 2025 after feasibility studies were completed, according to Turkish officials.
While the government has not disclosed the exact location or cost, Turkish media reports say the site covers about 900 square kilometres (350 square miles) near the equator.
The location offers a major advantage for rocketry. Launching from the equator allows vehicles to use the Earth’s rotational speed — which is fastest at the planet’s middle — to increase payload capacity and cut fuel costs.
For Ankara, the site is central to its 10-year National Space Programme, unveiled in 2021, which aims to secure independent access to space.
Turkey currently relies on foreign providers such as SpaceX for satellite launches.
A Somali spaceport would allow Turkey to launch its own Micro-Satellite Launch System (MUFS), developed by state missile producer Roketsan, and could also allow testing of long-range ballistic missile technologies away from the crowded airspace of the Mediterranean.
Deepening alliance
The space initiative builds on more than a decade of Turkish engagement in Somalia, which has become a springboard for Ankara’s broader African foreign policy.
President Erdogan famously visited Mogadishu in 2011 during a devastating famine, becoming the first non-African leader to do so in decades.
Since then, the relationship has evolved from humanitarian aid into hard security cooperation. Turkey already operates its largest overseas military base, TURKSOM, in Mogadishu, where it trains Somali government troops.
In February 2024, the two countries signed a landmark Defence and Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement that gave Turkey authority to protect Somali waters in exchange for a share of maritime resources.
That economic partnership accelerated earlier this month when Ankara dispatched the drillship Çağrı Bey to Somali waters.
The mission follows extensive seismic research carried out by the Turkish vessel Oruç Reis between 2024 and 2025.
Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in December that Ankara was targeting three offshore blocks, each covering roughly 5,000 square kilometres.
Regional rivalries
The tightening bond between Ankara and Mogadishu comes amid a volatile realignment in the Horn of Africa.
Tensions spiked in December 2025 when Israel formally recognised the independence of Somaliland, a breakaway region that has operated autonomously since 1991.
The move shattered a fragile diplomatic status quo and drew sharp condemnation from Somalia’s federal government, which considers Somaliland part of its territory.
“We are openly and clearly opposed to Israel’s move to recognize Somaliland,” Duran said on Wednesday, reflecting Ankara’s position that the recognition threatens regional stability.
Turkey designated Somalia’s territorial integrity a “national security priority” last month, signaling a readiness to counter moves that could fragment the country.
The crisis has drawn in other global powers. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) maintains a strategic foothold in Somaliland through its role in managing Berbera port, putting it at odds with Mogadishu’s central government.
Qatar, by contrast, remains a staunch backer of the federal government in Mogadishu and aligns closely with Turkey.
China, the European Union, and the United States have so far declined to follow Israel’s lead. The Trump administration in Washington has said it does not intend to recognise Somaliland immediately, though President Donald Trump has said he would “study” the issue.
Turkey is making a long-term bet on Somalia’s stability with the spaceport. But with al-Shabaab militants still active and regional powers competing for influence over the Red Sea shipping corridor, the project faces security hurdles as steep as its engineering challenges.
