Officials said the Turkish Defense Ministry and military would oversee
the launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite toward the end of
the year. They said the Gokturk satellite would provide Turkey with
strategic information on regional threats, including the Kurdish insurgency
in neighboring Iraq.
On July 16, Prime Minister Recep Erdogan reported Turkish plans to
launch the spy satellite in 2010, Middle East Newsline reported. Erdogan said the electro-optical satellite
would provide intelligence to the military and government as part of efforts
to bolster CI capabilities.
Erdogan's statement was the first time a senior official said Gokturk
would be ready in 2010. As late as eight months ago, officials said they
envisioned a satellite launch no earlier than 2012.
"We have been working on increasing training of security forces for
counter terrorism and on making those forces more experienced," Erdogan told
his Justice and Development Party. "Our aim is to designate only
professional personnel at our borders."
In July 2009, Italy's Telespazio signed a 250 million euro [$353
million] contract for Gokturk, a French-origin satellite designed to have a
high resolution capability of less than one meter. Telespazio was expected
to award about $100 million in subcontracts to such Turkish firms as Turkish
Aerospace Industries, Aselsan and Tubitak.