The domestically developed low-Earth orbit (LEO) IoT satellite LUNA-1, created by ASELSAN, was successfully launched into space aboard a Falcon-9 rocket belonging to the U.S.-based company SpaceX. After the launch, the first telemetry signals from the satellite were successfully received by the ground station in Ankara.
Announcing this major development through its social media account, ASELSAN highlighted the innovations LUNA-1 will bring. The satellite will possess critical capabilities such as collecting data from remote areas lacking infrastructure, enabling sensor communication over a very wide area, and providing long-lasting IoT connectivity with low power consumption. Low-latency data transmission is also among the significant advantages offered by LUNA-1.
The Historic Launch Moment of the ASELSAN LUNA-1 Satellite
Congratulations from the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB)
Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defence Industries of the Republic of Türkiye, also shared a congratulatory message on social media following the success of the LUNA-1 project. Görgün emphasized that this achievement marks a new milestone in Türkiye’s journey into space:
“The successful launch of ASELSAN’s LUNA-1 low-Earth orbit IoT satellite with SpaceX’s Falcon-9 and the reception of its telemetry signals at our ground station in Ankara represents the crossing of a new threshold in Türkiye’s space journey.”
President Görgün stated that the success of LUNA-1 is a clear indication that Türkiye’s space-based communication capabilities are advancing, that national solutions can be produced in low-orbit IoT technologies, and that independence in critical infrastructure is being strengthened.
In his message, he noted that every step taken in space provides the country with strategic capacity in many fields—from defense to communication, from agriculture to logistics—and added: “I congratulate the entire ASELSAN family who contributed to this valuable work. Every effort further strengthens Türkiye’s presence in space. May it bring good fortune.”
LUNA-1 has been recorded as an important milestone within Türkiye’s national technological advancement in the space field. The satellite will enable IoT applications developed with domestic resources to be carried out seamlessly from space.
SOURCE: C4Defence / ASELSAN
