Prof. Dr. Yücel Altunbaşak, President of TÜBİTAK, said that the most important feature of GÖKTÜRK-2 is its high localization rate, and added: "100 percent of the software and 80 percent of the hardware were made by Turkish engineers."
Speaking at the ceremony organized for the launch of the GÖKTÜRK-2 satellite into space, President Altunbaşak said that a new page had been opened in the field of space technology in Turkey. Stating that GÖKTÜRK-2 was designed to meet the satellite needs of the Turkish Armed Forces, Altunbaşak said that the satellite was the second national earth observation satellite. He said GÖKTÜRK-2 has a 15 gigabyte image storage capacity and 20 square kilometers of photography capabilities.
Pointing out that the satellite, which will circle the Earth 15 times a day, has the capacity to take photographs from all sides, Altunbaşak said, "The most important feature that distinguishes GÖKTÜRK-2 from others is its high localization rate. 100 percent of the software and 80 percent of the hardware were made by Turkish engineers."
Emphasizing that 56 out of 200 countries in the world have satellites and only 25 of them can produce their own satellites, Prof. Altunbaşak said that Turkey launched its own satellite for the second time in a year. Stating that Turkey has progressed very fast despite its late start in the space adventure, Prof. Altunbaşak said, "It is very meaningful to be able to launch two satellites one year apart. Turkey has solved the issue of earth observation satellites. We can still buy some parts from abroad, but we have solved the main mechanism, the DNA of the system. From now on, we need to gear up. Eleven countries in the world launch their own satellites with their own rockets. We aim to be the 12th country. In Turkey, this can be done very well from the Aegean coast or the Black Sea. When launched from the Aegean coast, the first stage engine will fall into the Mediterranean and the second stage engine will fall into the Atlantic Ocean. This is a great advantage. If launched from the Black Sea, the first stage engine will fall into the Black Sea and the second stage engine into the Arctic Ocean. These are works that can be done easily," he said.
In his speech, Altunbaşak also touched upon the issue of team satellites and said that they want every inch of Turkey's land to be monitored every second with national capabilities. Altunbaşak stated that this could not be achieved with only one satellite and that team satellites should be developed.
At the end of his speech, Altunbaşak thanked those who contributed to the realization of the project.
