|
|
Turkey Is Completing Its Creation of a Civilian Space Agency
8 March 2017
EIRNS—According to Defense News, there is a draft bill in the Turkish Parliament, expected to pass without debate, to establish Turkey’s civilian space agency. The proposed agency will combine the activities of various ministries, including science, industry, and technology; development; defence; transport; and communications. The executive board will be chaired by the Turkish Prime Minister.
The focus of the agency will be to create an indigenous space industry which lessens Turkey’s dependence upon foreign contractors for the construction of its satellites. The recent Gokturk-1 high-resolution Earth observation satellite, operated by the Ministry of Defence, was launched on December 5, 2016. It was "20 percent Turkish," thanks to the investment of $112 million to create a Space System Integration and Test Center. The target is to increase domestic manufacture. A civilian agency would also create the basis for international cooperation in space science and technology. It is reported by Sputnik that Turkey is also investigating creating its own launch facility and is looking at various potential sites. [MGF] |
