Türkiye develops its own satellite communication system

Türkiye plans to soon create a national alternative to SpaceX’s constellation of artificial satellites to provide access to high-speed broadband satellite internet, which will be called Astarlink.

Turkish authorities have announced an ambitious new project: the creation of its own low-Earth orbit satellite constellation, Astarlink, designed to provide reliable communications across Türkiye and friendly nations. The relevant announcement was made by Ahmet Akyol, CEO of the Turkish defense industry company Aselsan, at the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya.

"We launched this project late last year. We will have a constellation of 198 satellites in low-Earth orbit. The first of them is scheduled for launch within two years,”

– Ahmet Akyol said. 

Despite its similarity to Elon Musk’s Starlink, Astralink will feature its own proprietary signal format and chips, while the necessary subsystems will be developed by the national industrial ecosystem. Another undeniable advantage is that Astralink will provide reliable communications not only to Türkiye but also to friendly countries, the Aselsan CEO noted.