Türkiye is preparing to launch its first indigenous high-resolution observation satellite into space this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced.
"IMECE, our first high-resolution observation satellite produced with domestic and national means, will be launched into orbit on April 11,” Erdoğan wrote on his social media page.
IMECE is a remote sensing satellite produced with local resources of up to 60% by the Space Technologies Research Institute of Türkiye's Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBITAK).
High-resolution satellite
With the inauguration of IMECE, Türkiye will, for the first time, provide space history to an electro-optical satellite camera with sub-meter resolution, the Industry and Technology Ministry said.
"IMECE, which will meet the need for high-resolution satellite imagery of our country, will operate in orbit simultaneously with the sun at an altitude of 680 km," it said in a statement.
The launch comes as part of Türkiye’s ambitious 10-year space road map, unveiled in February 2021, which also includes missions to the moon and developing internationally viable satellite systems.
"We will continue to exist in the global space race thanks to our trained human resources, the opportunities we provide and the technologies we have developed," Erdoğan said.
