During the IAC 2026 conference in Antalya, ASELSAN unveiled the ASTRALINK (GÖKBAĞI) project, a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation system comprising 198 interconnected satellites. The company’s general manager, Ahmet Akyol, said the project, which began at the end of last year, aims to serve Turkey and allied countries, with a plan to launch the first satellite within two years.
The announcement came during a session titled “Building a Bridge Between the Ages: From Silk Road Astronomy to Lunar Exploration,” moderated by the president of the Turkish Space Agency, Yusuf Kıraç, as part of the conference organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) at the NEST Center in Antalya.
What Is Changing in Practice?
According to Akyol, ASTRALINK will not operate as a system separate from the existing infrastructure; rather, it will integrate with ASELSAN’s ground networks. The company says it has more than one million field-deployed user terminals, providing an operational base that can be connected to the new constellation’s services. According to the statement, the system will also rely on waveforms developed by the company, national chips, and subsystems produced within the local system.
ASELSAN presented the project as a transition from individual satellites to interconnected satellite networks, with a focus on security, resilience, and intelligent, dynamic resource management. However, the source does not specify key details such as bandwidth, manufacturing locations, launch vehicles, or the commercial service model—elements that will be necessary to assess the project’s competitiveness.
Independent Access to Orbit
Professor Dr. Arif Karabeyoğlu, a member of the board of the Turkish Space Agency, said that developing launch capabilities is important for emerging and mid-sized countries because of its connection to independence. He pointed to an increase in the payload launched into orbit over the past ten years, from 300 tons to 3,000 tons, alongside a significant decline in costs.
He added that Turkey is building a spaceport in Somalia, benefiting, according to his statement, from the site’s proximity to the equator, the security of launch paths, and weather conditions. He said Ankara wants to use it to launch its vehicles, while opening it to international use in the future. The report provides no timetable for the spaceport’s operation or technical details about the launch vehicles associated with it.
Commercial Stations and the Lunar Mission
Astronaut Michael López-Alegría, chief astronaut at Axiom Space and vice president of the IAF, said the company plans to launch the first module in a series of commercial space-station modules in 2028. He said the goal is to complete the commercial station before the International Space Station (ISS) is deorbited, while the company continues to conduct commercial astronaut missions, including Ax-3, in which Turkish astronaut Alper Gezeravcı participated.
For his part, Fergani’s director of space operations, Hasan Hüseyin Ertok, said that the space and communications sectors have accelerated significantly over the past five years. The director of TÜBİTAK UZAY, Mehmet Nefis, explained that Turkey’s lunar mission goes beyond the objective of landing because it brings together universities, research centers, defense-industry companies, and startups within a single national ecosystem.
Why Does This News Matter?
The significance of this development lies in the shift of Turkey’s space ambitions from carrying out individual missions to building integrated layers that include a communications constellation, launch infrastructure, a commercial station, and a lunar program. However, the figures announced for ASTRALINK remain project targets rather than proven operational results; therefore, the announcement’s actual significance will depend on successful launch, service continuity, and the system’s ability to compete with commercial alternatives and achieve the announced integration with ground networks.