ANKARA – Turkey's national aerospace company Tusas Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has said that its ambitious space center has been completed and will be ready for operations after an official ceremony, a company source said.
TAI's Space Systems Integration and Test Center (UMET in its Turkish acronym) was financed jointly by the country's transport, maritime and communications ministry, procurement agency the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, and Turksat AS, the country's satellite operator.
TAI said it will operate UMET where more than one satellite of up to five tons could be assembled, integrated and tested.
One TAI official said that the company hopes the new center will cater for international space programs in addition to Turkey's national programs.
"We have designed this center with a view to international programs, not just national," he said. "We think there will be a big market for such activity in the near future."
In October, the Turkish government completed a draft legislation that will make the basis for the country's first space agency. The agency will coordinate all space programs in Turkey.
Officials say all satellite or space-bound payload/systems to be developed by the Turkish industry will be tested and integrated at UMET, ending Turkey's dependence on foreign facilities.
Right now, the Turkish military's space-based assets are geared more toward ISR missions, but Turkey has so far been dependent on other nations to launch its satellites.
In addition to Turksat-I, II and III series that were launched in 1990s and 2000s, Turksat signed a contract with Japan's Mitsubishi for the Turksat-IV series communication satellites, the first of which was placed in orbit early this year. Turksat has ambitions also to develop and build its own satellites.
Turkey last year approved construction of its first satellite launching center to cater for the country's mushrooming satellite programs. According to a government road map for military and civilian satellites, Turkey plans to send into orbit a total of 16 satellites until 2020. ■
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the center's status.
Email: bbekdil@defensenews.com.
Burak Ege Bekdil was the Turkey correspondent for Defense News.
