Space industry in Turkey

The Turkish Space Agency (TUA — Türkiye Uzay Ajansı), established in 2018 by Presidential Decree in Ankara, is Turkey's national space agency responsible for coordinating and implementing Turkey's National Space Program (2021-2023, extended through 2030) — an ambitious 10-goal roadmap announced by President Erdoğan in February 2021 that outlined Turkey's intentions for satellite manufacturing, a national launch site, lunar exploration, and ultimately crewed spaceflight capability. Turkey's existing space infrastructure predates TUA: Türksat A.Ş. (established 1990) operates Turkey's GEO telecommunications satellite fleet for broadcasting and broadband across Turkey, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Central Asia. GÖKTÜRK-1 (2016, Airbus-built, 0.8-meter resolution optical satellite) and GÖKTÜRK-2 (2012, domestically developed with Roketsan/TAI) provide military and government Earth observation imagery for the Turkish armed forces and intelligence services. The domestic development of GÖKTÜRK-2 represented a significant step in Turkey's satellite manufacturing capability, with TÜBİTAK UZAY (Space Technologies Research Institute) leading the technical development. TUA's National Space Program goals include developing an indigenous satellite bus technology family, establishing a Turkish space launch site (a coastal equatorial site for efficient GTO orbital insertion), landing a Turkish spacecraft on the Moon by 2023 (revised after missing initial timeline), training Turkish astronauts for ISS missions (Alper Gezeravcı flew to ISS aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon in January 2024 — Turkey's first astronaut in space), and eventually developing crewed spaceflight capability. Turkey's defense aerospace industry — dominated by companies including Roketsan, ASELSAN, TAI, and TUSAŞ — provides an existing industrial base for space technology development. TUA also participates in ESA's Plan for European Cooperating States (PECS) as a step toward potential ESA European Cooperating State membership.

Fergani Space is a Turkish private space company founded in 2022, associated with the Baykar technology group. It develops commercial satellites, advanced satellite components, and orbital transfer vehicles powered by indigenous propulsion systems. Fergani launched FGN-100-D1 in January 2025, described as the largest satellite built by a private Turkish company to that point, followed by FGN-100-D2 in November 2025, both developed entirely with Turkish national resources. The company employs around 135 engineers and is pursuing the Ulug Bey project, a planned low Earth orbit constellation intended to provide Turkey with a sovereign global positioning and navigation capability.

Hello Space is a Turkish NewSpace startup developing a fleet of low-cost PocketQube-class picosatellites to deliver global, affordable data and connectivity services from orbit. Co-founded by Muzaffer Duysal and Zafer Sen, the company targets Internet of Things and machine-to-machine connectivity for maritime, agricultural and industrial applications, aiming to undercut existing solutions on cost. Hello Space has launched PocketQube satellites via Scottish launch-services provider Alba Orbital, building toward a constellation that provides end-to-end data services to remote and underserved areas. It illustrates Turkey's growing commercial small-satellite ecosystem.

Roketsan

Ankara, Turkey commercial

Roketsan is Turkey's primary rocket and missile manufacturer, founded in 1988 in Ankara with a 50.1% stake held by MKEK (Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation, a Turkish state defense enterprise) and the remainder by ROKETSAN employees and Turkish defense industry entities. As Turkey's largest domestic missile and rocket house, Roketsan has built a comprehensive portfolio of tactical weapons and is now extending its expertise toward space launch capabilities under Turkey's National Space Program. The company's defense product line is extensive and export-proven: the UMTAS laser-guided anti-tank missile integrated on the ATAK helicopter, the CIRIT 70mm semi-active laser rocket for precision strikes, the SOM air-launched cruise missile (600+ km range, JASSM-class), TRG-230/300 multiple launch rocket system rounds equipping Turkish ground forces, and the HISAR family of short-range air defense systems. This breadth of solid and liquid propulsion experience directly underpins Roketsan's sounding rocket and nascent orbital launch programs. Defense export clients include Pakistan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan. In space, Roketsan develops the Miçotesi sounding rocket family reaching altitudes of 100-200 km for atmospheric science, payload qualification, and microgravity experiments. The company is developing the RTA (Roketsan Turkish Rocket — orbital-class) solid-fueled launch vehicle to deliver small satellites to LEO, aligned with Turkey's National Space Program goal of an indigenous orbital launch capability by 2028. Turkey's Space Agency (TUA), established in 2018, coordinates with Roketsan, TÜBITAK UZAY, and Türksat on space ambitions including a domestic satellite manufacturing ecosystem and lunar missions by 2033. Roketsan's space launch work positions Turkey among an emerging tier of nations — alongside South Korea, New Zealand, Japan, and India — developing commercially and militarily relevant independent orbital access. Domestically, Roketsan competes for program leadership with TÜBITAK SAGE (guided systems R&D) and ASELSAN (electronics/avionics), while internationally Turkey's ambitions compare with the ISRO-PSLV ecosystem and KSLV-II Nuri as sovereign orbital launch programs outside the major spacefaring nations.

Turkish Aerospace

Ankara, Turkey commercial

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI — TUSAŞ, Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii A.Ş.), headquartered in Ankara's Kahramankazan district and founded in 1984, is Turkey's national aerospace prime contractor — designing and manufacturing military and civilian aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, and space systems for the Turkish Armed Forces and export customers, while serving as the anchor of Turkey's ambition to develop an indigenous space industrial capability. TAI is best known internationally for its UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) programs including the ANKA medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UCAV — a domestically developed UAV used by the Turkish military for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike missions — and for manufacturing F-16 fighters under license and various helicopter and transport aircraft programs. The defense aerospace success has generated both the financial resources and the systems integration experience that TAI is now applying to space systems development. In the space domain, TAI is developing TÜRKSAT 6A — Turkey's first domestically designed and manufactured geostationary communications satellite, which will validate Turkey's entire GEO satellite design and manufacturing capability chain. The TÜRKSAT 6A program involves TAI as prime contractor with TÜBİTAK UZAY (Space Technologies Research Institute) for avionics, ROKETSAN for satellite propulsion, and ASELSAN for communications payload electronics — engaging Turkey's entire defense electronics industrial ecosystem in satellite manufacturing for the first time. TÜRKSAT 6A's successful completion would represent a major milestone in Turkey's National Space Program. TAI also develops and manufactures Göktürk series Earth observation satellites for the Turkish Armed Forces and intelligence services, having already delivered GÖKTÜRK-2 (2012, indigenously developed) and contributing to GÖKTÜRK-1 (2016, Airbus-built with Turkish participation). The company is developing GÖKTÜRK-3 with further domestic content, advancing toward full end-to-end indigenous satellite manufacturing capability.

Türksat A.Ş. (Türksat Uydu Haberleşme Kablo TV ve İşletme A.Ş.), headquartered in Ankara and founded in 1990 as a government enterprise, is Turkey's national satellite operator providing telecommunications, broadcasting, and internet services to Turkey, the surrounding region, and extending to Central Asia and parts of Africa through a fleet of geostationary satellites positioned at orbital slots that optimize coverage for Turkish-language content distribution and government communications infrastructure. Türksat operates satellites at multiple GEO orbital positions: Türksat 1C (42°E), Türksat 2A (42°E), Türksat 3A (42°E), Türksat 4A (42°E), and Türksat 4B (50°E) — with the 42°E position being the primary slot for Turkish broadcasting, providing beam coverage over Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Türksat 5A (31°E, launched January 2021) and Türksat 5B (42°E, launched December 2021) are the company's newest high-throughput satellites built by Airbus Defence & Space, delivering significantly increased Ku-band and Ka-band capacity for broadband internet services and HD/4K television broadcasting. Türksat's primary business lines include: DTH satellite television broadcasting (as the infrastructure backbone for Turkey's national broadcasters TRT, Digitürk, and D-Smart pay-TV platforms), terrestrial internet service provider (Türksat ISP, providing ADSL and fiber broadband to Turkish consumers as a fixed-line ISP as well as satellite broadband), VSAT corporate network services, and government/military secure communications. Türksat is fully owned by Turkey's national holding company, Varlık Fonu (Turkey Wealth Fund), reflecting its status as sovereign infrastructure. Türksat plays a central role in Turkey's space strategy: the company has been the operational anchor for Turkey's satellite manufacturing technology transfer programs (TÜRKSAT 5A/5B brought Turkish engineers to Airbus in Toulouse), and the planned TÜRKSAT 6A — to be Turkey's first domestically manufactured GEO satellite, built by TAI (Turkish Aerospace Industries) — will validate Turkey's satellite manufacturing industrial base.