Turkey and Space Agencies

A need arose in Turkey for a space agency that would coordinate and control all civil and military space activities. In this context, a commission comprising representatives from all related departments began preparing a draft bill to be submitted to the Parliament for the establishment of a Turkish Space Agency. Parliament was expected to finalize the bill before the end of 2002. The Agency was planned to be organized in a similar manner to space agencies in other countries and function as a completely civilian establishment under the Prime Ministry.

Prime Minister Davutoglu was quoted by media on 08 April 2016 saying that Turkey will set up its space agency within three months. The government was reported in January 2016 to have begun work on legal framework for the draft law regarding the foundation of the space agency. It would focus on in-depth space research, exploration research, the development of satellite technologies and launching platform. The new structure is expected to cooperate with international space agencies and provide advanced services in agriculture, mining, transportation and disaster management.

In October 2017, Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan promised that the Turkish Space Agency will be established within the legislative year. Back then, Arslan went as far as predicting that Tukey’s “future projects will also include manned space missions.”

Turkey is going to launch a homegrown space agency by the end of the year, to run aerospace programs and manage relations with other countries in the sector, Mustafa Varank, Turkey’s industry and technology minister, announced 07 August 2018. “The Turkish Space Agency will be founded this year… Work to form its organization will be completed as soon as possible,” Varank said in a statement, cited by the Turkish media.

Varank believes that this will pave the way for a future booming, competitive Turkish space industry. “We are forming the Turkish Space Agency in order to strengthen our aerospace industry, improve scientific infrastructure and human resources in the field of space technology, and further boost our capacities and abilities,” he said. The agency’s task will be to “guide and coordinate the Turkish space sector and manage international relations [regarding space] through a single desk.”

In his statement, Varank recalled that Turkey has been involved in research and development of satellite technology since early 2000s, producing several observation satellites, BILSAT, RASAT and GÖKTÜRK-2. Two other satellite projects, TÜRKSAT 6A and IMECE, are also currently in the works. Creating a national space agency has been on Ankara’s agenda since the early 2010s. But the plans haven’t been fulfilled, with Turkish government officials mentioning the 2016 failed coup attempt in the country and the sluggishness of the parliament among reasons for the delays.

The Turkish Space Agency was established 13 December 2018 by a resolution published in the Official Gazette under the signature of President Erdogan. The Turkish Space Agency will have a special budget with its legal personality, administrative and financial autonomy to fulfill the duties and powers set out in the decree. In line with the policies set by the President, the Agency will carry out efforts to prepare and implement the "National Space Program".

The Board of Directors of the Turkish Space Agency will consist of 7 members, including the chairman. The Board of Directors will be the agency's top decision-making body and will serve as the Chairman of the Agency and the chairman of the Board of Directors. The term of office of members of the Board of Directors other than the chairman will be three years. Members whose term of office expires will be re-elected. The membership of the Board of Directors of the vice-presidents of those appointed to the Board of Directors for any reason will also end. Members elected to vacant memberships for any reason will have three years of office. The working procedures and principles of the Board of Directors shall be regulated by the regulation to be issued by the Agency in accordance with the decision of the Board of Directors. Members of the Board of Directors will be paid the right to peace of mind for each meeting, not more than two per month, as a result of multiplying the additional indicator number of 9000 by the officer's monthly coefficient.

The Agency will be related to the Ministry of Industry and Technology, medium and long-term objectives for aerospace science and technologies, basic principles and approaches, objectives and priorities, performance criteria, methods to achieve them and strategic plans, including resource distributions. The turkish Space Agency's tasks include the development of a competitive space and aerospace industry, the expansion of space and aerospace technologies in line with the welfare of the community and national interests, and space and aerospace technologies. development of scientific and technological infrastructures and human resources, increasing capacity and capabilities, gaining facilities and technologies that will provide independent access to space, there are necessary studies to benefit other sectors of the national industry from their expertise and knowledge.

Space vehicles and space space locations, except for the national and international telecommunications union (ITU) spectrum and orbital allocation and coordination activities and tasks carried out by the Information Technology and Communications Authority the Agency, which shall be authorized to decide on the exercise of the rights under national sovereignty in relation to its systems, determines the procedures and principles for the management and exercise of these rights, and fulfills the requirements of national obligations related to these rights. will bring.

President Erdogan announced the second 100-day action plan, also referred to the Turkish Space Agency. Erdogan "We have established the Turkish Space Agency, we will go to the top league. We increased the number of R&D centers by 10 percent and the number of design centers by 8 percent. We have tested the national secure messaging system."

Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank stated that the 20-year dream is real with the establishment of the Turkish Space Agency, which will determine the policies and strategies related to space technologies, and that Turkey's national interests will be observed in space. reported. Minister Varank, said in a statement on the subject, ''The strengthening of the space industry, the development of scientific infrastructures and human resources in the field of space technologies, capacity and capabilities to increase even more established the Turkish Space Agency. This institution will pave the way for the development of a competitive industry that is not externally dependent. Turkey's national interests will be observed in space." he said.

The board of seven members of the agency was appointed by Erdogan. According to the decision of the appointment in the Official Gazette, former Director General of Aerospace Technologies Serdar Huseyin Yildirim, became the Chairman of the Agency Board. On the board of directors, Istanbul Technical University (ITU), one of the founders of the Department of Space Engineering. Dr. Yurdanur Tulunay, TÜBITAK Director of National Observatory Dr. Prof. Dr. Sacit Özdemir, Director of TÜBITAK Space Technologies Research Institute Assoc. Dr. Dr. Lokman Kuzu, NASA's Mars project, Dr. Ahmed Akgiray, STM Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade. A.S.General Manager Murat Second and TURKSAT General Manager Cenk Sen.

The General Directorate of Aviation and Space Technologies, which was established within the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, was closed with the Presidential Decree regulating the procedures and principles regarding the establishment, duties and powers of the Agency.