Turkey's space program not yet ready for takeoff
Turkey’s ambitious space program has made some concrete achievements, but Ankara has yet to resolve structural and financial problems snagging development in the sector.
In a jubilant Twitter message last week, Turkey’s state-owned company Roketsan — the country’s primary rocket and missile manufacturer — announced it had successfully test-launched a sounding rocket into space. “The sounding rocket, which we manufactured with local and national technologies as part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s vision and efforts led by SSB [Defense Industry Presidency], broke through the boundary of space on Oct. 29!” the post read.
The company then shared footage of the test on YouTube. The aim of the 135-kilometer (84-mile) flight into space, launched from the Black Sea province of Sinop, was to test the maneuver control and thrust management systems of the rocket.
Crediting Erdogan for such achievements has become the rule in Turkey since the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation, which comprises all state-owned defense industry giants and contributes more than 60% of the country’s production in the sector, was linked directly to the president in December 2017. The foundation owns 55% of Roketsan shares.
Speaking at a ceremony Nov. 12, Erdogan said that Roketsan’s tests had managed to reach space four times, boasting that Turkey was “in the space league” now. “Our fully national and indigenous satellite launch tests have been completed successfully. … We have left an important milestone behind,” he said.
