In line with the decisions of the 8th Summit of the OTS held on 12 November 2021 in Istanbul, cooperation in the field of space was launched.
To date, four Meetings at the level of Heads of Space Agencies and five Working Group Meetings have been held. The most important projects in the upcoming period in the field of space are as follows:
- Designing, manufacturing, and launching a joint cube satellite between the Member States and Observers
- Promoting capacity building and experience sharing programs
- Joint usage of satellite data from the sources of the Member States and Observers
- Experience sharing in various applications such as water management, natural disasters monitoring, ecology, agriculture, and others
- Studying the matter of space standards development
In accordance with the vision laid out by the Heads of State during the Eighth Summit held on 12 November 2021 in Istanbul, the initiative was launched to strengthen cooperation in the field of space technology. This led to the “1st Meeting of Heads of Space Agencies” held in Baku on 20 December 2021, where the groundwork for the joint efforts in space was laid.
In line with the instructions of the Heads of State at the 9th Summit held in Samarkand on 11 November 2022, as well as Turkic Vision 2040 and Turkic Strategy 2022-2026, the cooperation items in the upcoming period were determined.
The 2nd Meeting of the Space Agencies and Relevant Authorities of the OTS was held on 25 April 2023 in Tashkent, and encouraged Member States and Observers to launch the joint cube satellite project at the Astana Summit in 2023.
The most important project under space cooperation is developing a joint cube satellite. Since its conception at the first meeting, this initiative has been steadily progressing.
At the 2nd Meeting in Tashkent, held on 25 April 2023, the Parties reaffirmed their support and agreed to assign two technical experts and one technical manager from each Member States and Observers to form a Steering Committee.
The technical discussions during the 3rd Working Group Meeting held on the margins of the 74th International Astronautical Congress in Baku on 4 October 2023, followed by an online expert meeting on 26 October 2023.
The 5th Working Group Meeting, hosted by Kazakhstan on 9–10 July 2024 in Astana, resulted in a consensus on a general roadmap for the joint Cube Satellite’s next development phase.
At the 4th Meeting of the Heads of Space Agencies and Relevant Authorities of the OTS held on 23 April 2025 in Baku, Parties reiterated their willingness to cooperate on the development of the satellite project under the OTS Flag, including launch, X-band transmitter, satellite control systems, ground support equipment, in-orbit calibration of optics and pre-processing of raw images of the satellite.
The Turkic Space Explorers Academy, successfully hosted twice at GUHEM (Gokmen Space and Aviation Training Center) in Bursa by the Turkish Space Agency. The program aims to raise awareness among the Turkic youth in the field of space and pave the way to raise space leaders of the future as well as to empower solidarity and friendship between the participants.
- The first camp was held in August 2023 with the participation of 80 students.
- The second camp was held in August 2024, welcomed 50 students, and offered practical and theoretical training in space sciences.
More than 130 students from the Member States and Observers who participated in the Academy received training in different subjects such as observational astronomy, rocket and space science, astrophysics, the solar system, and others. The program is important because it is the first training program in the field of space organized within the umbrella of the OTS.
Another critical step in institutionalizing space cooperation was signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Space Activities during the Bishkek Summit on 6 November 2024.
Space Agencies and Relevant Authorities of the Member States of the OTS have vast experience in hosting international conferences in the field of space.
In a nutshell, “Space Technology Conference 2023 Central Eurasia” on 26 April 2023 in Tashkent, “74th International Astronautical Congress” on 4 October 2023 in Baku, “Space Technology Conference 2024 Central Eurasia” on 24-26 April 2024 in Ankara, “Space Days Kazakhstan 2024 Conference” on 19-20 June 2024 in Astana, “Space Technology Conference 2025 Central Eurasia” on 24-25 April 2025 in Baku are the international space conferences organized in the last couple of years.
Next year, “Space Technology Conference” will be organized in April 2026 in Tashkent, and “77th International Astronautical Congress” will be organized on 5-9 October 2026 in Antalya.
Last Update: 16:05:22
