Space Café Radio - Oman Signs Artemis Accords and Charts Its Path to Space Sovereignty with Dr. Ali Al Shidhani

Join Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global, for this special episode recorded live at the second Middle East Space Conference in Muscat, Oman in January 2026, featuring His Excellency Dr. Ali Al Shidhani, Undersecretary of Communications and IT at Oman's Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

In a historic moment for the Gulf region, Dr. Al Shidhani reveals the breaking news: Oman has just become the 61st nation to sign the Artemis Accords -announced on the conference's opening day, just 24 hours after the third round of Oman-U.S. Strategic Dialogue where space cooperation was a key agenda item.

Discover:

• How Oman Vision 2040 is transforming the nation from oil economy to knowledge economy, with space as one of eight strategic pillars of the National Digital Economy Program
• The remarkable growth story: 200% increase in space sector investments, 400 employees, and 150% growth in space companies-all in just three years
• Why Oman chose to build a rocket launch port "to fly rockets for science rather than other maybe not so peaceful activities"
• How foreign companies can achieve 100% ownership and fast-track regulatory approval - launching a rocket in just 45 days from permit application
• The philosophy behind Oman's upcoming space law: enabling innovation while ensuring responsible development
• Why success for Oman isn't measured against other nations, but against themselves: "How can Oman tomorrow become better than Oman today?"

Dr. Al Shidhani articulates a compelling vision where space is not just about satellites and rockets, but about digital sovereignty, youth inspiration, capacity building, and localizing space technology capabilities with Omani talent.

From downstream applications to upstream enablement, from regulatory red tape to red carpet treatment - this is the story of how a Gulf nation is carving its distinctive path in the global space ecosystem.

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