On October 5, 2026, at the opening of the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026) at the NEST Congress and Exhibition Center in Belek, Antalya, Turkish defense electronics company ASELSAN presented its low Earth orbit (LEO) communications satellite constellation project GÖKBAĞI—introduced internationally as Astralink—for the first time on the international stage. Held from October 5 to 9 under the auspices of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and hosted by the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), the congress featured ASELSAN as Anchor Sponsor.

Typographic illustration of ASELSAN's GÖKBAĞI (Astralink) low Earth orbit satellite network project at IAC 2026 in Antalya
Illustration: Editorial typographic cover by A NEW LIFE News (not a photograph of a spacecraft)
Typographic cover for GÖKBAĞI (Astralink) / LEO. Editorial illustration by A NEW LIFE News accompanying the report on ASELSAN's presentation at IAC 2026 in Antalya.

What was presented in Antalya

According to reports by state news agency Anadolu Ajansı and the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation (TSKGV), ASELSAN organized its showcase around the theme "From Chip to Constellation" ("Çipten Takım Uyduya"). The GÖKBAĞI (Astralink) project is designed for low Earth orbit and combines satellite links with military and civil 5G/6G communications into a unified infrastructure resilient against electronic warfare. The architecture is intended for dual use across defense, public safety, and civilian applications. Alongside the constellation concept, ASELSAN displayed AESA-based digital satellite ground receivers, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload technologies for the Göktürk-3 Earth observation satellite, and subsystems developed for the Türksat 6A and Türksat 7A communications satellites.

What ASELSAN's CEO said

Speaking to Anadolu Ajansı at the congress, ASELSAN CEO Ahmet Akyol emphasized that the company develops its space hardware starting from in-house microelectronics: "We are designing it starting from the chip" ("Çipten başlayarak tasarlıyoruz"). Addressing the deployment schedule, Akyol gave a timeframe without naming a specific calendar year, stating that ASELSAN will complete the full satellite design and "begin launching the first satellites within the next few years" ("Uydunun tamamını dizayn edip önümüzdeki birkaç yılda ilk uyduları fırlatmaya başlayacağız"). An Anadolu Ajansı preview report published on October 4 also noted that the Astralink manufacturing program targets a serial production capacity of up to four satellites per month.

Illustration: editorial typographic cover created by A NEW LIFE News (not a photograph of a spacecraft).

⸻

Sources: Anadolu Ajansı, October 5, 2026 (IAC 2026 dispatch); Anadolu Ajansı, October 4, 2026 ('From Chip to Constellation' preview); TSKGV (Turkish Armed Forces Foundation); International Astronautical Federation (IAF — IAC 2026 Antalya); Official IAC 2026 Congress Website (Antalya NEST Congress Center).