Plan-S Sends 4 IoT Satellites into Space

Plan-S General Manager Tugay Güzel stated that 4 IoT satellites, which they developed with a 95 percent local content rate, were launched into space and said, “We will send 8 more satellites into space by the end of the year. In 2025, we will reach a total of 30 satellites with IoT and earth observation.”

Plan-S’s Connecta IoT satellites were sent into space by SpaceX yesterday.

Güzel made an assessment to AA correspondent after the launch.

Güzel, who informed that the total number of satellites launched, including the previous 5 test satellites, has increased to 9, said that they achieved this in a short period of 3 years.

Güzel said, “Our establishment was in July 2021, but in the background, there is a team of 120 people, 80 percent of whom are engineers, where 20-25 years of very serious experience is transferred, technologies brought by the defense industry are used, we commercialize and privatize this in some way, and send it to space.”

Plan-S General Manager Güzel stated that this was an indescribable feeling and that this time they launched 4 satellites at once.

Noting that they had sent previous satellites to test their own sub-units, gain space history, be able to carry out domestic production and master all this technology, Güzel made the following assessment:

“Thanks to the connection between the Internet of Things called IoT and our satellites that went out today, we will now be able to serve our customers in many different sectors from agriculture to logistics, energy to insurance and finance. We believe that this will play a leading role not only in Turkey but also in the region and the Turkic republics. We are proud to achieve this as a local initiative from Turkey. We will send 8 more satellites by the end of the year. Thus, if we are lucky, we will send 12 satellites by 2025. As of the beginning of the year, we will reach a total of 17 satellites in space with the test satellites. We will also send 1 earth observation satellite next year. In 2025, we will reach a total of 30 satellites with IoT and earth observation. While the localization rate of the first satellite we sent was around 40-50 percent, today we have reached 95 percent. We will complete the remaining small parts in the near future and will be continuously sending our 100 percent local satellites.”

“Companies will have an advantage in terms of adding value to their business”

Tugay Güzel stated that these satellites have a lifespan of 5-7 years and that as technology changes, the satellites need to be renewed, which is why they produced 9 satellites in 3 years and sent them into space.

Güzel pointed out that these are the first satellites in their field and explained that they will add operational efficiency to many sectors thanks to the satellites.

Güzel emphasized that serious opportunities can be achieved if everyone starts looking for ways to make their work more efficient in space, and said:

“We are just starting to use space. Right now, we are like cell phones were 30 years ago. The biggest obstacle to technology is mostly the high prices. Today, we have $1,000 phones in our pockets, but if they were $10,000, less than 1 percent of the phones would be there. We are working to spread this to many sectors and make space accessible to everyone. Therefore, if everyone looks at how they can benefit from space and contacts us, I think they will have a great advantage in terms of both efficiency, adding value to the business, opening up to innovation and taking the competition to the forefront.”

“We will continue with the demands from the companies”

Plan-S General Manager Güzel stated that they provide connection services for IoT sensors and that they will also offer complete solutions to places where they are currently looking for solutions.

Güzel informed that they can provide a complete solution with soil, humidity, air sensors and irrigation channels to those who want to manage their fields more efficiently in the agricultural sector, and noted the following:

“While reading your water or natural gas meter, we will be able to provide satellite services that were previously very expensive and at much more reasonable levels in many areas on top of the mountain, that is, where you have difficulty accessing the data but need it. In order to do this, we will continue with the demands from many companies. Interested companies can reach us through our website, our partners or social media. We will try to explain what they can do by offering them different solutions as much as we can, including space.”