FIRST TURKISH SPY SATELLITE BE PUT INTO ORBIT IN 2012
PanARMENIAN.Net
26.01.2009 17:44 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Telespazio company (Rome), subsidiary of the
Group Finmeccanica (Milan) / Thales (Toulouse), specialized in the
observation of the ground by satellite and navigation, gained the
contract of manufacture of a spy satellite ordered by the Turkish
Ministry of Defense, freelance French journalist Jean Eckian told
PanARMENIAN.Net.
In spite of the reserves of the Turkish government to entrust the
project to a company with French participation, because adoption by
the National Assembly of the bill penalizing of the Armenian Genocide
negation (2006), the development of the Gokturk satellite returns
in Telespazio and Thales Aliena Space. According to officials from
Turkish Ministry, Telespazio was preferred at Thales because of the
Turkish resentment on the decisions of the French Parliament.
First Turkish military satellite, Gokturk-1 will receive
high-definition optical systems with a ground observation oscillating
between 2,50 m and 80 cm since an orbit located at 700 kms of altitude.
"The Turkish Ministry of Defense does not hide its intention to combat
terrorism by the means of this satellite, which will see also its
qualities used in the civil monitoring of the activities such as the
control of the forest grounds, the follow-up of illegal construction,
etc, without any geographical restriction," declared Murad Bayar,
under-secretary of defense industries. The satellite should be put
into orbit in 2012.