Aselsan unveils 198-satellite Astralink constellation at IAC 2026
Aselsan has unveiled Gokbagi — marketed internationally as Astralink — a planned 198-satellite low-Earth-orbit communications constellation for military, public and civilian use, with the first satellite due to launch within two years.
Türkiye’s defence electronics firm Aselsan has unveiled Gokbagi, a planned 198-satellite low-Earth-orbit communications constellation, at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026) in Antalya.
The network, marketed internationally as Astralink, is designed to serve military, public and civilian users, delivering secure, uninterrupted, low-latency communications beyond the reach of terrestrial networks. Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol told Anadolu Agency the project had been “designed from the chip level up,” noting the congress, co-hosted by the Turkish Space Agency and SAHA Istanbul, was its first public showing.
The dual-use system is being developed under the Low Earth Orbit Satellites and Military 5G/6G Communications System project, built on domestic microchips and proprietary communications waveforms from the Turkish defence ecosystem. Ground receivers use active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology to track satellites digitally, without moving antennas.
Aselsan says the project, initiated late last year, will serve Türkiye and its allies. Akyol told the IAC panel the first satellite should launch within two years, with a target production capacity of up to four satellites per month and more than one million terrestrial user terminals to be deployed.
Aselsan, the congress’s anchor sponsor, is also showcasing its Gokturk-3 radar imaging satellite and Türkiye’s TURKSAT-6A geostationary communications satellite at the event.
Sources: Yeni Safak, europesays.com, Armada International
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