TUSAŞ Outlines HÜRSAT-1 Specs and ‘Satellite Factory’ Ambition

TUSAŞ (Turkish Aerospace Industries) is presenting HÜRSAT-1 less as a standalone spacecraft and more as the opening move in a broader production strategy. Details published in the 146th issue of the company’s GÖKVATAN magazine describe a roughly 200-kilogram satellite with sharp imaging targets and a longer-term ambition the company calls a “satellite factory.”

Orbit and imaging specifications

According to TUSAŞ, HÜRSAT-1 is designed for a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 500 kilometres. Its ground sample distance is given as 0.9 metres or better in panchromatic imaging and 3.6 metres or better in multispectral imaging. The satellite will produce data in the red, green, blue and near-infrared bands as well as the panchromatic band, and it is intended to cover wide areas in a single pass with an image swath of at least 14 kilometres. TUSAŞ is designing the spacecraft for a space lifetime of five years or longer.

Family concept and complementary role

The central claim of the project is serial production rather than a single satellite. TUSAŞ is shaping HÜRSAT as a product family that can be adapted to different missions in the roughly 100-650 kilogram range. Under a formation-flying “team satellite” architecture, satellites carrying electro-optical, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and thermal imaging payloads would work in coordination in the same orbit, with the aim of imaging the same area more frequently. The magazine reports that a development and production period of about 24 months is envisaged for the HÜRSAT satellite.

TUSAŞ stresses that HÜRSAT will complement, not replace, the GÖKTÜRK-class strategic satellites. HÜRSAT-1’s primary focus is civilian needs such as agriculture, forest fires and disaster monitoring, according to the article, though the high-resolution imagery can also be used in defence and security missions. In October, a HÜRSAT-2 contract was signed between TUSAŞ and ROKETSAN. The magazine did not include HÜRSAT-1’s launch date or which rocket will carry it into orbit.

Source: TUSAŞ, GÖKVATAN Magazine, Issue 146 (2026/3).

This story was first reported by Envanter Medya.