Turkey to build spaceport in Somalia |
Turkey says it plans to build a spaceport in Somalia, a move that could deepen its ties with the African nation while advancing its ambitions for independent access to space.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the plan on Tuesday after meeting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Istanbul. Speaking at a joint press conference, he said agreements signed between the two countries marked a new phase in bilateral cooperation.
Erdoğan said the agreements included plans to establish a spaceport in Somalia, adding that the first phase of the three-stage project had been designed and that construction was already under way. The project is being overseen by Turkey’s space agency.
Turkey established the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) in 2018 with the stated aim of reducing dependence on foreign aerospace technology and increasing its........