Türkiye Will Become a Satellite Exporter with the National Space Program

Burak KESKİNCİ/ ISTANBUL, Minister of INDUSTRY and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır attended the Istanbul Teacher Academies and Workshops 2023-2024 Academic Year Closing Lecture. Making a speech here, Minister Kacır said, “Our goal is to send Turkey’s own satellites into space with its own rockets and hopefully from a spaceport that we will establish within the scope of the National Space Program.” said. Minister Kacır said, “Turkey has 10-year targets within the scope of the National Space Program. One of them is the targets for the continuation of these satellite projects. Turkey will hopefully become a satellite exporter country after TÜRKSAT 6A. We will build new generation satellites. Low orbit satellite constellations will be delivered to Turkey.” “We will produce and develop locally and nationally in . ” he said.

The 2023-2024 Academic Year Closing Course program of Istanbul Teacher Academies and Workshops was held at Istanbul Technical University Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center. Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Rector of Istanbul Technical University Prof.Dr. İsmail Koyuncu, Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Assoc.Prof.Dr. Murat Mücahit Yentür, ministry representatives and teachers attended. The program started with a live music concert prepared by the Teacher Academies. Speaking at the program, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır made a presentation evaluating the relationship between Turkey’s technological developments and education.

“THE OWN CHILDREN OF THIS NATION SHOT TURKEY’S SIGNATURE INTO THE SKY”

Minister Kacır said, “Something happened in the 2000s. Unmanned systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, which we can call robot planes, began to become widespread rapidly in the world. Access to unmanned aerial vehicles was important for Turkey because Turkey has been a country that has been fighting terrorism since the 80s. When did this nation His own sons introduced Turkey to national unmanned aerial vehicles, and thus Turkey eliminated terrorism from its lands, with Bayraktar and ANKA, with Akıncı, with Aksungur and Anka 2, with Anka 3, with Kızılelma and in aviation with Hürkuş and Hürjet. “They put the Turk’s signature in the sky with Atak, Gökbey and our 5th generation national combat aircraft, KAAN,” he said.

“WE ARE TRYING TO BE A LOCOMOTIVE FOR NEW GENERATION TECHNOLOGY”

Kacır said, “If TOGG had not been established in 2018, but had been established in 2011, Turkey would perhaps have a brand that is several times the value of its competitors today, like that American brand. But sooner rather than later, we took the last exit before the bridge. For the first time, we took the wagon to the new generation technology.” We are not, we are trying to be a locomotive. For the first time, we are not just a customer of the new generation technology, we are trying to be a developer and producer. Currently, our median age is around 33. In that sense, we can say that we are a little older, but if we compare, the median age in Europe is 43. The median age of Turkey is 48. In other words, we are 10 years younger than Europe and 15 years younger than some countries such as Germany. This is a great chance and a great opportunity because young people all over the world have established technology teams, technology startups and high-tech products developed by these technology startups. “and technology is changing and transforming services,” he said.

“WE WILL BUILD NEW GENERATION SATELLITES”

Referring to the space programs, which are among Turkey’s goals, Minister Kacır said, “Turkey has 10-year goals within the scope of the National Space Program. One of them is the continuation of these satellite projects. Hopefully, Turkey will become a satellite exporting country after TÜRKSAT 6A.” We will build new generation satellites. We will produce and develop low orbit satellite sets locally and nationally in Turkey. This field has changed a lot, my dear professors. The cost of sending 1 unit of cargo into space has decreased to almost 1 in 10 years. While only 100 satellites were being sent to space, now 2 thousand satellites are being sent to space every year, mostly smaller satellites sent to low orbit. In other words, there is a tremendous paradigm shift in satellite technologies. We will achieve this paradigm change, but our goal is also to develop our own rocket technology. To be sending ‘s own satellites into space with its own rockets and hopefully from a spaceport that we will establish within the scope of the National Space Program. We will also establish our own spaceport with international cooperation and send our own satellites to space from our own spaceport with our own rockets. “This future is not too far away, God willing,” he said.

“IF THERE IS A LIGHT OF HOPE IN THE WORLD, IT IS IN THIS LAND”

Speaking about the relationship between technology and its use for the benefit of humanity, Kacır said, “We are living in a period where Israel has been making humanity watch genocide on live broadcast for approximately 250 days since October. And it is doing all this, in its own way, by seeing in itself technological capabilities that do not exist in the society it is trying to destroy. The rule is, It shows us all on live broadcast that technology without a fair framework can only cause a disaster for humanity. In such a framework, we are stepping into one of the biggest technological breakthroughs in the history of the world. With artificial intelligence, humanity will experience one of the biggest breakthroughs in the fair global order. Unfortunately, there is no strong hope. Believe me, if there is a ray of hope in the world for everyone who is aware of all these events, it is in these lands. In other words, the technological capabilities it has, the human capital it has, the human resources it has, the historical experience it has gained and the world’s success at a global level. “The fact that the Turkish nation has extended its hand to the innocent, the downtrodden and the oppressed throughout history, and has ultimately made an effort to make justice and mercy prevail in the world, has made the Turkish nation perhaps the only source of hope for humanity in such a period,” he said. After the speeches, a gift was presented to Minister Kacır, and certificates of achievement were given to the teachers who completed the Teacher Academy. The program ended with Minister Kacır and the participants taking photos.