Mert Davut, Emir Yildirim
05 October 2026•Update: 05 October 2026
Türkiye is investing in its independent space infrastructure with a new domestic positioning satellite constellation of more than 100 craft to secure its sovereignty in orbit, a sector representative said on Monday.
Haluk Bayraktar, chair of the SAHA Istanbul defense cluster, stated that Türkiye transformed from a technology importer in 2002 to a global aerospace producer, with domestic manufacturing rates surging from 20% to 80% in the past two decades.
Bayraktar, speaking at the opening of the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026) in the southwestern city of Antalya, stated that Türkiye’s annual defense and aerospace exports rose from $250 million to a whopping $11 billion over the same period.
“We now achieve in just one week the exports we used to produce in an entire year back in 2002,” he said.
“What started in a small workshop by a handful of young engineers turned into efforts to design and produce the critical components of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) through domestic means, making Türkiye a leader in the field that accounts for 65% of the global UAV export market and a country that exports technology to over 40 countries,” he added.
Bayraktar stated that the agile development philosophy is powering the Turkish industrial ecosystem, which is now extending into orbit to reduce foreign reliance on space technology.
“We’re building a strong space infrastructure with our communications satellites and positioning constellation of 100 satellites to establish an independent navigation system,” he said, noting that the country has already developed capabilities ranging from sounding rockets exceeding 100-kilometer (62.1-mile) altitudes to homegrown hybrid orbital transfer vehicles.
He mentioned that the IAC’s theme this year is “The World Needs More Space,” which he thinks carries two meanings.
“Access, as in more countries reaching orbit at a lower cost, and opening up opportunities, as in more small businesses in the supply chain and young engineers at the table, as well as countries that were once told that space was not for them."
He added that Türkiye is investing in young talent via initiatives like the premier defense and aviation event TEKNOFEST, which recently held its first event in the nation’s southeast, having drawn 1.6 million student applications for its engineering and rocketry competition.
