Organized in collaboration with the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), a training program is being held between July 20-31, 2026, to showcase Türkiye’s space and aviation infrastructure. Under this program, we hosted Somali university students studying under the “Türkiye Scholarships” at our Institute on July 28.

The strategic step taken with the spaceport project, which Türkiye has begun constructing in Somalia, is further supported by training programs designed to cultivate qualified human resources. During the visit, organized as an extension of these training efforts, students had the opportunity to observe Türkiye’s achievements in space research firsthand.

The program commenced with opening remarks by our Deputy Director, Bülent Avenoğlu. Following a corporate presentation by Can Bayraktar, Business Development and External Relations Group Leader, Dr. Burak Yağlıoğlu, Project Manager for the Lunar Research Program I, delivered a presentation titled “Turkish Lunar Mission.” The session highlighted our goal of carrying the capabilities gained in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with our end-to-end indigenously produced earth observation satellites, and in Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) with our first national communications satellite TÜRKSAT 6A, into deep space.

Following the presentations, the attendees toured our facilities. Guided by our experts, the students learned about the history of TÜBİTAK UZAY while witnessing the production, integration, and testing processes of our satellites and equipment on-site.

The visit, aimed at broadening the Somali university students’ vision in space technologies, concluded with a closing ceremony attended by our Institute Director Mehmet Nefes and Deputy Director Bülent Avenoğlu.