Türkiye advances space independence with new satellite launches

Turkish space firm Fergani Space on Monday said that its fifth test satellite, FGN-100-D3, successfully reached orbit after being launched from the US aboard a SpaceX mission.

According to Turkish defence company Baykar, the 113-kilogramme satellite was launched at 2.02 pm Türkiye time (1102GMT) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission, separating from the launch vehicle 66 minutes after liftoff and reaching its target orbit at an altitude of 500 to 520 kilometres.

The launch was monitored by the Fergani Space team from the Space Observation and Control Center at the Ozdemir Bayraktar National Technology Centre in Istanbul.

Selcuk Bayraktar, Baykar’s chairman of the board and chief technology officer, said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal that the company’s work “beyond the horizon” was continuing.

Fergani said the satellite marks an important technological step compared with its earlier spacecraft, featuring critical systems developed entirely in-house, including a reaction wheel, magnetic torque rod, magnetometer, inertial measurement unit and GNSS receiver.

It also carries an AI-supported onboard computer designed for advanced missions, while the in-orbit validation of domestically developed systems and avionics is seen as an important step toward Türkiye’s full independence in space technologies.

LUNA-2 follows earlier LUNA-1 launch

In a parallel development, Turkish defence giant Aselsan said it had successfully launched its second nanosatellite, LUNA-2, from California aboard a SpaceX rocket as part of its space-based Internet of Things (IoT) programme.

The satellite is designed to provide secure and uninterrupted sensor data transmission in remote areas using a dedicated LoRa communication system which enables wide-area coverage with low energy consumption.

Aselsan said all design, development, production, integration and testing processes for LUNA-2 were carried out in-house.

The flight software, ground control software, LoRa transceiver card used as the payload and data transfer unit were also developed by Aselsan engineers using domestic capabilities.

The company said the launch of LUNA-2 is expected to further strengthen its capabilities in the field of space-based IoT and contribute to Türkiye’s goal of building an independent, competitive and sustainable space technology ecosystem.

Aselsan’s first satellite in the series, LUNA-1, was launched into orbit in December last year aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.