Turkey's Space Roadmap Calls for 17 Satellites in Orbit by 2020

摘要

The Turkish government has devised an ambitious roadmap for the country's multiple satellite programs until 2020, having recently set up an office that will become a national space agency.Last November, Ankara set up a Space Technologies Directorate under the supervision of the Transport Ministry. Officials said this office would later become the country's first national space agency. According to the roadmap, 17 Turkish satellites will be in orbit by 2020. A space industry expert based here said that satellite contracts to be signed in the next five years would amount to billion. "This is a niche market with strong prospects due to Turkey's genuine ambitions in space technology," the expert said.According to the roadmap, Turkey this year will launch Gokturk 2, an electro-optical reconnaissance satellite, and in 2013 Gokturk 1, as well as Turksat 4A, a communications satellite.Turksat 4B will launch in 2014 and Turksat 4R in 2015, along with Gokturk 3, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) reconnaissance and observation satellite.