Türkiye's eye in space, the Göktürk-1 satellite, has completed its 7th year in orbit. During its mission, the satellite took 82,913 images from anywhere in the world and orbited the planet 37,378 times.
The Göktürk-1 satellite was launched on December 5, 2016, from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana. Developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) and the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, Göktürk-1 is a high-resolution reconnaissance and surveillance satellite capable of capturing images with a resolution of 0.8 meters from anywhere on Earth.
The satellite's primary purpose is to provide national and strategic intelligence for the Turkish Armed Forces and other public institutions. The satellite can also be used for civilian purposes, such as urban planning, agriculture, forestry, and disaster management.
The Göktürk-1 satellite has reached many milestones during its 7 years of operation, for example, it captured an image of Teknofest 2023 in Istanbul from space on April 30, 2023; an image of Rize-Artvin airport on May 14, 2022; an image of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge on March 24, 2022; and an image of the fire disaster in Manavgat.
The Göktürk 1 satellite is expected to continue its mission for at least 10 years.
What are Türkiye's future satellite projects?
TURKSAT 6AThis is Türkiye's first domestically developed and produced communications satellite project. It is planned to be launched into space in 2024. It is being jointly carried out by TÜRKSAT, Aselsan, CTECH, TÜBİTAK, and TUSAŞ. It is designed to have a mass of over 4 tons, 16 Ku-band transponders, 7.5 kW of power generation, and a 15-year service life. It will be placed in geostationary orbit at 42 degrees east longitude and will serve Turkey, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and a large part of Asia.
On November 2, 2023, the deployment tests of the high-power solar panels of Türkiye's first domestically produced communications satellite, TÜRKSAT 6A, were successfully completed. Following this stage, launcher compatibility tests, final functional tests, and payload performance tests will be carried out, after which the satellite will be ready for transport to the launch site.
TURKSAT 6BThis is a communications satellite project that is a continuation of TÜRKSAT 6A. It is targeted to be launched into space in 2025. It will have similar features to TÜRKSAT 6A.
TURKSAT 6CThis is a communications satellite project that is a continuation of TÜRKSAT 6B. It is targeted to be launched into space in 2025. It will have similar features to TÜRKSAT 6B.
TURKSAT 7AThis is a communications satellite project designed to replace the TÜRKSAT 5A and 5B satellites. It is planned to be launched into space after 2026. It will have higher capacity and wider coverage than the TÜRKSAT 6A and 6B satellites.
