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. Prior to that, Turkey became one of the founding members of EUMETSAT as early as 1984. [2] [3] The Turkish Air Force was tasked with making recommendations on a national space agency in 2001. [4] Turkey signed a cooperation agreement with ESA in 2004. [5] In 2018, Turkish Space Agency was founded by Presidential decree. [6] 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. [7] Agency currently has agreements with Ukraine, Hungary and Kazakhstan's space programs, and claims to conduct extensive nation-wide assessments regarding membership to ESA since 2020. [8]
In 2021, President Recep Tayyip 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. [9] 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, [10] performed 13 scientific experiments prepared by academic and research institutions in Turkey on the International Space Station [11] and returned to Turkey on February 12, 2024. [12] [13]
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.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 22-member intergovernmental body devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,200 people globally as of 2022, ESA was founded in 1975. Its 2024 annual budget was €7.8 billion.
The Canadian Space Agency is the national space agency of Canada, established in 1990 by the Canadian Space Agency Act.
The Meteosat series of satellites are geostationary meteorological satellites operated by EUMETSAT under the Meteosat Transition Programme (MTP) and the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) program.
The Swiss Space Office (SSO) is the federal government's competence centre for national and international space matters. In its role it cooperates closely with other federal offices and is responsible for the preparation and implementation of the policy and strategic orientations of the space domain in Switzerland. The SSO is part of the State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation. The Head of the SSO is Dr. Renato Krpoun.
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 Polish Space Agency is the space agency of Poland, administered by the Ministry of Development, Labour and Technology. It is a member of the European Space Agency. The agency is focused on developing satellite networks and space technologies in Poland. It was established on 26 September 2014, and its headquarters are located in Gdańsk, Poland.
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.
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.
The Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) is the national space agency of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It was founded on September 12, 2018, by Luxembourg's Economy Minister Étienne Schneider.
Axiom Mission 3 was a private spaceflight to the International Space Station. The flight launched on 18 January 2024, and lasted for 21 days, successfully splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. It was operated by Axiom Space and used a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The booster, B1080, had previously flown Axiom-2, among other high-profile missions.
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.
