Turkey: Aselsan confirms mega-constellation plan
October 16, 2026

By Chris Forrester



Turkish electronics giant Aselsan is investing in R&D for space-related elements, and says it expects to fulfil a Turkish government programme for 198 satellites (Astralink) for broadband use by the early 2030s.

Last year’s revenue was $4.2 billion (€3.7bn) with about $200 million coming from space-related activity.


In an interview related to the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) and reported by Space Intel Report, Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol said that his business is looking to double or triple that 2025 figure.

At the half-year stage on June 30th, its backlog stood at $23.2 billion, up 45 per cent from the same period a year earlier.

The company is also building Turksat 7A and participating in Turksat 5B with Airbus.

The company is looking to launch its first test Astralink in 2028. “From 2029 onwards, we plan to accelerate deployment through successive phases, initially with technology demonstration and test satellites, followed by the ramp-up of serial production satellites. This phased approach will allow us to validate key technologies, mature the system architecture and progressively expand the constellation,” Akyol said.