Turkey to open first satellite test center

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkey is to open its first satellite assembly and test center on May 21, according to a statement from the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).

The Spacecraft Assembly, Integration and Test Center, located northwest of Ankara, in Kazan, will initially test the Göktürk-1 satellite, a civil and military observation satellite to be launched in November.

The 3,800-square-meter center, situated near a military air base, will be capable of testing satellites weighing up to five tons, the company said in a statement May 19. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to attend the opening ceremony.
 
The center, funded by the Defense Ministry and telecommunications firm Türksat, is part of Turkish efforts to break into the international space industry.

Among the tests to be conducted at the TAI-operated site will be vibration tests, acoustic tests and solar array deployments.

Turkey’s first native satellite Türksat 6A - a Turkish communications satellite currently under construction - will be produced at the center.