Türkiye's first and one of the few satellite test facilities in Europe and the world, the TUSAŞ Space Systems Integration and Test (USET) Center, was inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday, May 21, 2015, at the TUSAŞ Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. facilities in Kazan, Ankara.
The USET Center, with an investment cost of approximately 100 million Euros, was established within the TUSAŞ campus as part of the GÖKTÜRK-1 Project, funded by the Ministry of National Defence/Undersecretariat of Defence Industries and the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications/TÜRKSAT A.Ş., and under a contract signed between SSM and Telespazio/Italy and Thales Alenia Space/France. Thus, Turkey has acquired a facility found in only a few countries worldwide, and TUSAŞ has become an international player providing space systems integration and testing services.
The foundation of the facility, whose land and infrastructure needs were met by TUSAŞ, one of the companies of the Turkish Armed Forces Strengthening Foundation, the founding and developing locomotive of the Turkish Defense Industry, and whose operating rights were given to TUSAŞ, was laid on October 29, 2011. The center, which has a 9,800 m2 closed area and a 3,800 m2 Class 100,000 Clean Room, will be able to create mechanical, thermal, acoustic, and electromagnetic interaction environments that satellites will be exposed to during launch and throughout their mission in space, and will be able to conduct qualification tests. Thus, systems designed and manufactured to operate in space conditions will undergo a comprehensive verification process before being launched into space.
At the center, the assembly, integration, and testing of multiple satellites weighing up to five tons can be carried out simultaneously, and all these activities will be performed by TUSAŞ's expert and trained technical teams.
