Turkey has recently been expanding its field of activity in order to protect its interests in space as well as in land, air and sea.
In addition to the economic benefits it will bring to Turkey, the space and aviation sector makes it possible to provide many services in areas such as television broadcasting, internet, telephone services, precise monitoring of the earth with spacecraft with optical and radar payloads, smart transportation applications with navigation satellites, urban planning and agriculture. brings added value.
Therefore, it is of great importance for countries to realize the space strategy in an efficient, safe and sustainable manner.
Turkey has gained momentum in the field of space, aviation and technology in recent years, especially within the scope of the National Space Program and TEKNOFESTs.
With the slogan “Let a child come and touch the plane”, thousands of young people were introduced to science and developed projects in this field, thus taking a step forward in Turkey’s space travel.
“Space diplomacy” has accelerated
Gökmen Space Aviation Training Center (GUHEM) in Bursa was selected as the “national coordinator of World Space Week”.
The Planetary Congress organized by the Space Explorers Association was also held in Turkey with the participation of world-famous astronauts and cosmonauts. More than 70 world-famous astronauts were hosted at the 5-day congress in GUHEM in September.
Turkish Space Agency (TUA) has become one of the stakeholders of this year’s Space Apps Challenge (International Space Applications Competition), which has been organized by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for 11 years and aims to solve problems jointly by producing open source solutions to the challenges encountered on Earth and in space.
Türkiye aspires to the IAC organization
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of T3 Foundation, TEKNOFEST and Baykar Chairman of the Board of Directors Selçuk Bayraktar, attended the world’s largest space organization “International Space Congress” (IAC) held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, with their delegation.
The delegation made presentations at the congress for the organization in question to be held in Antalya in 2026. The final decision is expected to be announced shortly.
If Turkey undertakes the organization, the event is planned to be held at the NEST Congress Center, where the Antalya Diplomatic Forum is held.
The third Antalya Diplomacy Forum, planned to be held this year, will also include the title “Space Diplomacy”. It is anticipated that international guests in the field of space will be invited to the panel.
TUA and the National Space Program
One of the most important steps towards protecting Turkey’s national interests in space was taken on December 13, 2018. TUA was established to prepare and implement the National Space Program and ensure coordination between collaborations in line with the policies announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Then, the 10-year National Space Program was introduced in 2021.
This year, Alper Gezeravcı and Tuva Cihangir Atasever were determined as Turkey’s first space travelers in terms of “sending a Turkish citizen to space”, which is one of the 10 goals in the program. Alper Gezeravcı is planned to be sent to space by the end of the year.
To make the first contact with the Moon, to create a trademark that can compete with the world in the field of new generation satellite development, to develop Turkey’s regional positioning and timing system, to provide access to space and to establish a space port business, by investing in the field called space weather or meteorology. Increasing competence in space, taking Turkey to a higher level in astronomical observations and ground tracking of space objects, further developing the space industry economic system in the country and establishing a space technology development zone are among the goals.
History of space travel
Within the scope of its space activities, which have become more intense with the 21st century, Turkey has come to the stage of achieving its goals of developing its own local and national satellite, launching it into space, and giving its strategic products a history in space, and now sending its own space passengers on the 100th anniversary of the Republic.
In addition, the country became one of the few countries in the world with the ability to produce satellites with the intelligence satellite GÖKTÜRK-2 launched into space in 2012.
With the Türksat 5A satellite, which was successfully launched into space in 2021, the number of active communication satellites increased to 4.
Türksat 5B was sent into space on December 19, 2021, and was put into service on June 14, 2022.
İMECE, the first domestic and national high-resolution earth observation satellite developed by TUBITAK Space, which will serve in the fields of defence, disaster management, environment and urbanization, and agriculture and forestry, was launched this year.
Days are also being counted for the launch of the local and national Türksat 6A communication satellite. With the launch of the satellite into space, Turkey aims to be one of the 10 countries represented in space with its own satellite.
Turkey, which also works to produce domestic and national sub-components and software of satellite technologies, carries out these in cooperation with universities, TÜBİTAK Uzay, TÜBİTAK SAGE, ASELSAN, TUSAŞ, TÜRKSAT and ROKETSAN.
World Space Week is celebrated
Adopted by the United Nations in 1999, World Space Week marks two turning points in humanity’s expansion into space. The first of these was the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into space on October 4, 1957, opening the way for space exploration, and the second was the entry into force of the Treaty of Principles Governing the Activities of States for the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Celestial Bodies, on October 10, 1967. took. These dates were declared as special weeks.
This year, the theme of the events was determined as “Space and Entrepreneurship” by the World Space Week Association.
