Minister Kacır: ‘Turkey is now in the A team in the space league’

Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated that Türksat 6A is the most valuable technology product ever produced by Turkey, saying, ‘Looking at it from this perspective actually proves the level Turkish industry has reached. Turkey is one of the 11 countries with such capability. Turkey is now in the premier league of space. This will also strengthen Turkey’s ability to export high technology. Turkey will not only develop and produce its own satellites, but will also become one of the countries producing satellites worldwide,’ he said.
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır made statements after the event held in Gebze district of Kocaeli before the Suborbital Research Flight of Turkey’s 2nd astronaut Tuva Cihangir Atasever. Reminding of the mission conducted by Alper Gezeravcı in manned space research, Minister Kacır said, ‘In that mission, 13 scientific experiments were conducted on the International Space Station. This time, in the Suborbital Research Flight, 7 different scientific experiments were conducted by Tuna Cihangir Atasever. Within this scope, the effects of space conditions on human physiology and biology, human genetics, and human metabolism were investigated. Some of these were actually a continuation of the projects initiated by Alper Gezeravcı. Some projects were executed for the first time in this mission. Harvard University and our Health Sciences University collaborated on a project. They researched the effects of space conditions on blood flow in the brain and also the dynamics of spinal fluid,’ he said.
‘Young people show a strong interest in space, technology, and science’
Minister Kacır emphasized that these important studies have positive effects on young people and children, saying, ‘One of the most important outcomes of these missions is the impact they have on young people and children. We saw how high this impact was during our travels around the country with Alper Gezeravcı. In every city we visited, we conducted the largest events at universities. We saw that Turkish youth, Turkish children show a strong interest in space, technology, and science, and in the journey started by Alper Gezeravcı and Tuna Cihangir Atasever, they will carry the flag much further.’
‘We aim to establish a spaceport in the most suitable location’
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır pointed out the importance of Turkey’s independent access to space program, saying, ‘Turkey is a country that develops its own rockets in this respect. We want to be able to launch our own satellites into space with our own rockets. In addition, the construction of an International spaceport is also part of this goal because having such infrastructure is crucial for independent access to space. We want to achieve this through international cooperation. We aim to establish a spaceport in the most suitable location in the world. All these will result in projects that will yield results in the coming years,’ he said.
‘Turkey is now in the premier league of space’
Minister Kacır also made statements regarding Turkey’s first domestic communication satellite Türksat 6A, saying, ‘We had previously developed imaging satellites locally. Now, we are also developing communication satellites locally. Türksat 6A is the most valuable technology product ever produced by Turkey. We are talking about a $250 million technology product. Looking at it from this perspective actually proves the level Turkish industry has reached. Turkey is one of the 11 countries with such capability. Turkey is now in the premier league of space. This will also strengthen Turkey’s ability to export high technology. Turkey will not only develop and produce its own satellites, but will also become one of the countries producing satellites worldwide. Hopefully, with Türksat 6A that we will launch into space on July 8-14, we will gain brand new experiences and enrich these experiences with new projects in the upcoming period,’ he added.