Turkey's Göktürk-1 satellite ready to undergo environmental tests

Göktürk-1, the observation satellite designed and developed by the Space Alliance for the Turkish Ministry of Defense, has been shipped to Ankara AIT centre to start environmental tests scheduled by the programme before the launch expected in 2016.

Rome  13 May 2015

Göktürk-1, the observation satellite designed and developed by the Space Alliance for the Turkish Ministry of Defense, has been shipped to Ankara AIT centre to start environmental tests scheduled by the programme before the launch expected in 2016.

 

The global contract, signed in 2009 by Telespazio as the prime contractor and the Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense, envisages an Earth observation satellite equipped with a high-resolution optical sensor, a satellite integration and test center to be built in Turkey, and the complete ground segment, in charge of mission control, in-orbit operation, data acquisition and processing. Local industrial partners include TAI, Aselsan, Tübitak UEKAE, Roketsan and TR Teknoloji.

 

 

 

Thales Alenia Space has built the satellite and has developed the integration and test center in Turkey. Telespazio is the Prime Contractor and system integrator and, in addition is responsible of the ground segment, the satellite launch service and launch insurance procurement, the operations of the system including the Launch and Early Orbit Phase, In Orbit Test phase and the Integrated Logistics Support to the End User.

 

Turkish industry has been involved in the system design and development, as well as supplying some Göktürk-1 system components: TAI provided elements of the satellite payload structure, Aselsan is in charge of the ground segment components image data reception and processing, Tübitak UEKAE in charge of the telecommand and telemetry ciphering devices and TR Teknoloji of the AITC building.

 

Derived from the Proteus platform developed by Thales Alenia Space with CNES (Centre National d’Etudes spatiales), the Göktürk-1 satellite includes a high-resolution optical instrument, derived from its strong heritage in this field of competency. The satellite is now assembled and integrated, it has been shipped to the new satellite integration and test center in Ankara which has been designed to be able to integrate several Satellites concurrently.

 

Thales Alenia Space, in the frame of the Gokturk-1 contract with Telespazio, will be the first Company in the space industry to deliver a turnkey integration and test center.

The Class 100,000 clean rooms, spanning more than 3,000 square meters, will house all the latest-generation equipment needed for satellite integration and testing. Systems include a mechanical vibration test bench (shaker), a 950 cubic meter acoustic test chamber, a thermal-vacuum chamber measuring over 350 cubic meters, a compact antenna test range and supports for the deployment of solar panels and antennas. Other resources include the system to test the satellite's physical properties (weight, center of gravity, inertia) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test systems.