07.05.2026 03:31
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır shared historic steps regarding Turkey's space vision at the SAHA 2026 Fair. Announcing that Turkey will reach the Moon in 2027 with a national hybrid rocket engine, Kacır emphasized that independent access to space will be achieved through the spaceport being built in Somalia. Stating that domestic technology will be certified in deep space with the Türksat 7A and İMECE satellites, the Minister reiterated Turkey's goal of becoming a leading player that exports services in the global space economy.
The SAHA 2026 fair held in Istanbul hosted milestone announcements for Turkey's space goals. Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır announced that Turkey will reach the Moon in 2027 with a hybrid rocket engine developed using national resources.
NATIONAL HYBRID ROCKET ENGINE
Mehmet Fatih Kacır made striking statements regarding Turkey's space objectives at the Satellite Technologies Development Call Signing Ceremony held within the scope of the SAHA 2026 Fair in Istanbul. Stating that Turkey will ignite its own national hybrid rocket engine and reach the Moon in 2027, Kacır said Turkey will be the first country to use this technology in deep space.
SPACE TECHNOLOGIES AGENDA AT SAHA 2026
SAHA 2026 is being held at the Istanbul Fair Center between May 5-9. The organization, with participation from over 1,700 companies from more than 120 countries, showcases the latest technologies in defense, aviation, and space industries.
Within the scope of the Satellite Technologies Development Call Signing Ceremony held at the fair, partnership agreements were signed for various strategic projects. In this context, the Gezgin-1 and Micro Satellite Project led by TUSAŞ, and satellite-based communication projects to be carried out by Plan-S will be implemented.
“SPACE ECONOMY WILL REACH 1 TRILLION DOLLARS”
Drawing attention to the economic and strategic importance of space technologies in his speech, Kacır said the global space economy has exceeded 600 billion dollars and is expected to reach 1 trillion dollars within a short time.
Stating that they aim to carry Turkey's success in the defense industry into space technologies, Kacır said, “Just as we became the world's 11th largest exporter in the defense industry, we aim to be one of the world's most important players in both product and service exports in space technologies.”
“WE ARE WORKING INTENSIVELY FOR TÜRKSAT 7A”
Stating that Turkey has made significant progress in satellite technologies in recent years, Kacır said major advancements have been achieved in imaging satellites through the BİLSAT, RASAT, GÖKTÜRK, and İMECE projects.
Reminding that with Türksat 6A, Turkey became one of the 11 countries capable of developing its own communication satellite, Kacır said, “We are now working intensively for Türksat 7A. We will provide our nation with higher-capability communication satellites.”
“TURKEY WILL MAKE HISTORY IN DEEP SPACE”
Emphasizing that the Moon Program is one of Turkey's priority goals, Kacır stated, “Turkey will become the country that reaches the Moon by igniting its own national hybrid rocket engine in 2027, and will make history as the first country to use this technology in deep space.”
Kacır noted that this project will not only achieve reaching the Moon but also enable Turkey to become a country that can develop orbital transfer vehicles and offer this service to the world.
SPACE PORT BEING BUILT IN SOMALIA
Stating that Turkey is carrying out work in line with its goal of independent access to space, Minister Kacır said that satellites are now produced in Turkey but are still sent into space with foreign rockets.
Expressing that rocket technologies and space port projects are of critical importance for this reason, Kacır announced that construction of a space port in Somalia has begun in line with President Erdoğan's vision.
“WE OPENED A NEW PAGE IN OUR SPACE JOURNEY”
Stating that Turkey has also taken important steps in manned space missions, Kacır recalled that the first Turkish astronaut conducted scientific experiments at the International Space Station.
Expressing that a new page has been opened in the field of space technologies, Kacır said Turkey will take on a stronger role in international space projects in the coming period.
INTERNATIONAL SPACE CONGRESS TO BE HELD IN ANTALYA
Kacır also announced that Turkey will host the 77th International Space Congress to be held in Antalya on October 5-9. Stating that Turkey will showcase its space capabilities to the world at the congress with nearly 15,000 participants from around 100 countries, Kacır said a record was also broken in scientific paper submissions this year.