Plans for Oman to join the world’s spacefaring countries began in 2006 DUBAI: Oman plans to be the next Arab nation to join the space race with the launch of its first satellite in 2024, according to Said bin Hamoud Al-Mawali, the country’s minister of transport, communications and information technology. “We have to address the role of the private sector to this effect, and establish a company to launch the first satellite in 2024,” Al-Mawali said in a report from daily Times of Oman. “There are practical advantages here for our national space program, advanced technology, and artificial intelligence.” The country will formally announce its space program next year, the minister said, although plans for Oman to join the world’s spacefaring countries began in 2006. Aside from partnering with the private sector on space exploration, Al-Mawali said the government is also working to increasingly involve them in the country’s infrastructure projects. “We have about 40,000km of paved roads in the country. The government has spent a lot on infrastructure, and the upcoming stage involving these completed projects will look at how their contribution to the economy can be improved, so that they continue more to the GDP of the country.”