Turkey Launches Its 1st Indigenous Earth Observation Satellite into Space

The Turkish-made pioneering satellite was blasted off early on Saturday from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the US state of California at 0648 GMT.

The launch marks the first time that Turkey will have an electro-optical satellite camera with sub-meter resolution in orbit.

The IMECE's orbit will be sun-synchronous at an altitude of 680 kilometers (422.5 miles) and serve in the areas of defense, disaster management, environment and urbanization, and agriculture and forestry.

During its mission span of five years, the satellite will take images from around the world.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey had designed, produced, assembled, integrated, and tested the satellite's subsystems by itself.

IMECE will be Turkey's most advanced observation satellite in terms of image resolution, communication speed, and maneuverability, he added, Anadolu Agency reported.

The country developed IMECE's critical technologies, including flight computer and communication systems, indigenously, he said.

IMECE can take images from all around world, not just Turkey, with its high-resolution electro-optical camera, which was also developed indigenously.

"Turkey is reaping the benefits of its national technology move, aiming to rise to the top in the global tech league," Erdogan stated.

IMECE will be used in many areas, especially in national defense, disaster management, agriculture, forestry, the environment, and urbanization, the Turkish president said.