The space program of Turkey is the space policy implemented by Turkey to further its interests in aerospace. Turkey first began developing its space program in 1993, and it has been under the authority of the Turkish Space Agency since 2018. Turkey has launched several satellites, and its current objective is to achieve a Moon landing in 2026. [1]
The space program of Turkey developed as part of the Turkish Science and Technology Policy under the authority of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey in 1993, which designated space technology as one of the primary fields of technology. The Turkish Air Force was tasked with making recommendations on a national space agency in 2001. [2] The stated objectives of the Turkish Space Agency include development and resource independence through space technology. The Turkish Space Agency also seeks to develop the space program to increase Turkey's influence and recognition on the world stage. [3] President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered the creation of the Turkish Space Agency in 2018. [4]
In 2021, President Erdoğan announced a 10-year plan for Turkey's space program. The primary objective of this plan is to achieve a Moon landing through international cooperation in 2023 to mark Turkey's centennial, followed by an independent Moon landing in 2028. Other objectives include development of new space technologies, establishment of a spaceport, the formation of a Space Technology Department, and sending a Turkish citizen to space on a scientific mission. [5] As part of the Axiom Mission 3, Turkey's first astronaut Alper Gezeravcı was launched from the Florida of the United States on January 19, 2024. Gezeravcı, who spent 14 days in space [6] , performed 13 scientific experiments prepared by academic and research institutions in Turkey on the International Space Station [7] and returned to Turkey on February 12, 2024. [8] [9]
The state owned satellite communications company Türksat began launching a series of Türksat satellites in 1994. The TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute is responsible for research and development relating to space technology. It has developed multiple Earth observation satellites, including BILSAT-1 in 2003 and RASAT in 2011. Turkey has also developed the Göktürk series of satellites for military use. Other satellite-related projects being developed by the space program of Turkey include the Regional Positioning and Timing System and the Space Launch System.
Human spaceflight programs have been conducted, started, or planned by multiple countries and companies. Until the 21st century, human spaceflight programs were sponsored exclusively by governments, through either the military or civilian space agencies. With the launch of the privately funded SpaceShipOne in 2004, a new category of human spaceflight programs – commercial human spaceflight – arrived. By the end of 2022, three countries and one private company (SpaceX) had successfully launched humans to Earth orbit, and two private companies had launched humans on a suborbital trajectory.
The Canadian Space Agency is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the Canadian Space Agency Act.
The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, also known as the Chang'e Project after the Chinese Moon goddess Chang'e, is an ongoing series of robotic Moon missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The program encompasses lunar orbiters, landers, rovers and sample return spacecraft, launched using the Long March series of rockets. A human lunar landing component may have been added to the program, after China publicly announced crewed lunar landing plans by the year 2030 during a conference in July 2023.
Göktürk-2 is an Earth observation satellite designed and developed by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and built by TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) for the Turkish Ministry of National Defence.
RASAT was an Earth observation satellite designed and developed by TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute and produced in Turkey to provide high resolution imagery. It was the first remote sensing satellite fully realized in Turkey, and the second indigenously developed remote sensing satellite after BILSAT-1.
Türksat 4A is a Turkish communications satellite, operated by Türksat. It was constructed by Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO) of Japan, based on the MELCO DS2000 satellite bus, and was launched by the American-Russian joint-venture company International Launch Services (ILS) atop a Russian Proton-M space launch vehicle on February 14, 2014, at 21:09:03 from Site 81/24 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Türksat 4B is a Turkish communications satellite, operated by Türksat.
Turkish Space Systems, Integration and Test Centre (USET) is a spacecraft production and testing facility owned by the Ministry of National Defence and operated by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). It is located in Ankara, Turkey. The facility's official inauguration took place on May 21, 2015, in presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
TÜBİTAK Defense Industries Research and Development Institute, shortly TÜBİTAK SAGE, is a Turkish institution carrying out research and development projects on defense industry technology.
The Space Launch System, shortly UFS, is a project to develop the satellite launch capability of Turkey.
Türksat 6A is a Turkish communications satellite currently under construction, which is being developed and produced indigenously to be operated by Türksat A.Ş. It will be Turkey's first fully domestically produced communications satellite, and is expected to be launched in June 2024.
UBAKUSAT was a Turkish nanosatellite that was developed by Istanbul Technical University. It was launched into space on board a Falcon-9 rocket in April 2018 and was deployed into its orbit from the International Space Station in May 2018. It was built as a technology demonstration and Earth observation satellite to provide voice communications for amateur radio stations around the world. It carried an experimental card, TAMSAT Simplesat, which allowed scientists to test its accuracy of measuring radiation from space. It was the fifth satellite to be built by students of Istanbul Technical University.
The Turkish Space Agency is a government agency for national aerospace research as a part of the space program of Turkey. It was formally established by a presidential decree on 13 December 2018.
Individuals and events related to Turkey in 2021.
Selçuk Bayraktar is a Turkish engineer and businessman. He is the chairman of the board and the chief technology officer of the Turkish technology company Baykar. He is also known as the architect of Turkey's first indigenous unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Bayraktar TB2 and first unmanned fighter jet Bayraktar Kızılelma. Bayraktar is also the founding chairman of the Turkish Technology Team Foundation.
Mehmet Fatih Kacır (born 16 October 1984, Istanbul) is a Turkish politician and entrepreneur.
The Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church is a Syriac Orthodox church in Yeşilköy on the European part of Istanbul. Opened in 2023, it is the first church built since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. It is dedicated to Ephrem the Syrian.
Alper Gezeravcı is a military pilot and the first Turkish astronaut. He flew to International Space Station by taking part in a special space flight on 18 January 2024 with the Axiom Mission 3 mission.
Falcon 9 B1060 is a Falcon 9 first-stage booster manufactured and operated by SpaceX. It is the senior active rocket for the company since the demise of B1058 on 25 December 2023. As of 24 February 2024, it has flown to space and landed 18 times, matching the record of B1062.
