TÜRKSAT AŞ General Manager Ahmet Hamdi Atalay stated that the specifications for the Türksat 7A Project are about to be completed and said, “Probably the final version will be shared with the stakeholders next month, and then we will be moving on to the production phase.” he said. Atalay made an evaluation to the AA correspondent about the current state of Turkey’s satellite and space studies and the latest situation in the Türksat 7A Project.
Pointing out that Turkey has communication and observation satellites, Atalay said that a successful space ecosystem has been built within the public, private and academia. Atalay pointed out that the satellite sector is a strategic field, not a commercial one, and stated that other satellites are currently being produced. Emphasizing that it is of great importance for Turkey to be present in this field, Atalay said: “From now on, our goal is to always be in the top 10 in the world in every field.
Below the top 10 does not save us. In this context, the paper work in the Türksat 7A Project, which will take us one step further, is over and the specifications are about to be completed. “Probably the final version will be shared with stakeholders next month, and then we will be moving on to the production phase.” “National launch” target Atalay stated that they are stakeholders in the “Space Port Project”, which Turkey has started to establish in Somalia, and that they, as TÜRKSAT, will provide all necessary support.
Referring to the global restrictions in satellite launch systems and the risks posed by foreign dependency, Atalay explained that launch companies can interfere with the payload contents. Atalay stated that in the current system, launchers can avoid providing launch services in the presence of critical components such as military payload by checking the technical content of the satellites. Pointing out that there may be delays of up to a year in launch schedules due to global density as well as high costs, Atalay said: “Turkey’s efforts to create its own launch system are of vital importance at this point.
When we establish our own launch system, we will be able to meet our own needs whenever we want and also have a share in this large market. As TÜRKSAT, we aim to be the first company to use our national launch system. Our wish is to send our Türksat 7A satellite, which is under preparation, into space with our own launch system and to prepare our infrastructure before this process.” About Türksat 7A The protocol covering the financial support for Türksat 7A, within the framework of TÜRKSAT’s goal of increasing its communication capacity in space, was signed between the company and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Directorate of Transport, Maritime and Communications Research Center, on June 19, 2025.
With the said protocol, the framework of the support to be provided by the Ministry regarding the construction process of Türksat 7A was determined. The Türksat 7A Project was started as the design life of the Türksat 3A satellite, operating in 42 degrees east orbit, was nearing its end. This satellite, which is planned to be put into service in 2029, is aimed to be the carrier of Turkey’s digital future vision with its higher data capacity, stronger coverage area and flexible resource management capability.
Source: AA
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