Countdown for domestic chain in space

ASELSAN General Manager Ahmet Akyol announced that they started the ASTRALINK (ÖKBAĞI) constellation project, which will operate in Low Earth Orbit. The first satellite in the system, which will consist of 198 interconnected satellites, is aimed to be launched within two years. Akyol said, "ASTRALINK will serve both Turkey and allied countries." The system will work integrated with more than 1 million user terminals in the field.

On the launch side, ROKETSAN is working on ŞİMŞEK-1 and ŞİMŞEK-2 systems. ŞİMŞEK-1 is planned to carry a 400-kilogram satellite and ŞİMŞEK-2 a 1.5-ton satellite into space. ROKETSAN General Manager Murat İkin stated that independent access to space is one of the company's most important duties and said, "Turkey has repeatedly expressed its desire to cooperate on both launch and satellite issues."

Somalia spaceport

TAI is also joining this chain with the mass-producible HÜRSAT satellite family. HÜRSAT-1 is planned to be launched in mid-2027 with sub-1 meter resolution, and HÜRSAT-2 is planned to be launched in the 2028-2029 period with ŞİMŞEK-1 rocket. TAI General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu said, "We will have both built our satellite and launched it locally." Turkish Space Agency Board Member Prof. Dr. Arif Karabeyoğlu said that the aim is to open the spaceport in Somalia not only for Turkey's launch vehicles but also for international use.

It will give new momentum