ROKETSAN to provide Turkey with independent access to space with ŞİMŞEK 1 and 2
ROKETSAN, one of Turkey’s leading defence technology companies, is currently transforming the nation' s space programme.
General Manager Murat İkinci has announced that Turkey will soon achieve independent access to space, a critical milestone made possible by the successful launches of the ŞİMŞEK 1 and ŞİMŞEK 2 rocket systems.
This initiative represents a significant leap for Turkey’s strategic independence and technological development. Since 2016, ROKETSAN has been systematically testing its space-related solutions.
This has included the extensive use of sounding rockets and various other platforms.
Sounding rockets are unmanned research rockets designed to reach, but not necessarily remain in, outer space to perform scientific experiments and test components under space-like conditions.
This testing has contributed to a significant accumulation of historical data and experience, which has been crucial in preparing for the subsequent phases of Turkey’s space programme. Achieving independent access to space means that a country can develop, manufacture, and launch its own satellites and spacecraft without relying on other nations' technology or infrastructure.
For Turkey, this is a decisive factor for national security and sovereignty.
It provides the country with the ability to operate critical infrastructure in space—such as communication satellites, surveillance satellites, and navigation systems—entirely under its own control.
This reduces vulnerability to external influence and strengthens the country' s position on the international stage. Murat İkinci highlighted that the successful tests of the ŞİMŞEK 1 and ŞİMŞEK 2 systems are key to realising this ambition.
These rocket systems are the result of ROKETSAN’s extensive research and development efforts, and they represent the tangible technological progress that now makes Turkey’s independent space access possible.
The development of such advanced systems requires significant investment in engineering expertise, materials science, and production technology. Independent access to space has far-reaching consequences for Turkey.
In the defence sector, it will strengthen the ability to gather intelligence, improve communication for military operations, and increase the country' s capacity for early warning systems.
From a civilian perspective, it will promote the development of national telecommunications, weather forecasting, resource management, and disaster preparedness.
It also stimulates innovation within the industry, creates high-tech jobs, and contributes to an overall increase in expertise across the country. ROKETSAN’s efforts position Turkey as a more capable and independent actor in space.
This development is in line with the country' s overarching national technology programmes, which aim to reduce foreign dependency and build a robust domestic industry.
The success of the ŞİMŞEK 1 and ŞİMŞEK 2 is therefore not only a technological triumph but also a symbol of Turkey’s growing technological independence and strategic ambitions.
Source: TRT Haber
