Turkish space tech firm’s satellite constellation ready to launch in July

By Zeynep Duyar

ANKARA (AA) – Turkish space technology firm Plan-S has developed a satellite constellation of four to be launched in July, as the firm aims to lessen Türkiye’s dependency on foreign satellite technologies.

Plan-S developed the first four of the cutting-edge Connecta IoT Network system constellation satellites, which will provide Internet of things (IoT) connectivity.

The firm has launched five test satellites into space since 2022, and the new satellite constellation is planned to be launched on a Falcon-9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Plan-S intends to increase the number of satellites in its artificial constellation to over 100 in the near future, allowing the company to provide low-latency communication services globally through an efficient IoT ecosystem.

Tugay Guzel, co-founder and CEO of Plan-S, told Anadolu that the satellite constellation project will strengthen Türkiye’s presence in space by promoting indigenous technologies.

“The satellite constellation will connect millions of devices at once, greatly benefiting many sectors worldwide, especially agriculture, logistics, and energy, and there are only a few companies capable of providing such a service,” said Guzel.

He added that the four satellites from the constellation project will be launched shortly after Turksat 6A, Türkiye’s first indigenous communications satellite.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul