Türkiye's first indigenous high-resolution Earth observation satellite, IMECE, completed its first year in space, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır announced Monday.
In a social media post, the minister recalled that the satellite, developed by the Space Technologies Research Institute of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK), was launched into space on April 15, 2023.
He noted that all of IMECE's key components are indigenous, including its electro-optic camera, which has a high resolution from approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles).
The satellite's launch was part of Türkiye's ambitious 10-year space road map, unveiled in February 2021. The road map also includes missions to the moon and developing internationally viable satellite systems.
"With the IMECE satellite's mission, Türkiye has proved its ability in space technologies," Kacır said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"Hopefully, we will send Türkiye's first national communications satellite, Türksat 6A, into space in the week of July 8. This will make us one of the 11 countries worldwide that can develop its own communications satellites," he added.
