The Turkish Space Agency signed two international cooperation agreements during the first two days of the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya. One agreement continues work with the space agencies of member countries of the Organization of Turkic States on a joint CubeSat project. The second establishes a framework for exploring future cooperation with the UK Space Agency.
Framework for the joint CubeSat project
The first document is a framework agreement extending existing cooperation on a joint CubeSat project coordinated through the Organization of Turkic States. The Turkish Space Agency and the participating national agencies aim to advance their shared work and create a basis for future space projects. The reports do not provide new details about the satellite’s technical specifications, launch date, budget or planned payload.
CubeSats are small spacecraft built from standardized units and can be used for research, technology demonstrations, education or Earth-observation missions. However, the framework agreement should not be treated as a confirmed launch commitment or a completed mission plan. The verified development is that the participating agencies formalized the continuation of their existing multilateral work.
Goodwill agreement with the UK Space Agency
TUA’s second signature was a goodwill agreement with the UK Space Agency. According to the announced framework, the two agencies intend to develop cooperation and potential joint projects in the space sector. A goodwill agreement demonstrates an intention to explore areas of collaboration. The cited sources do not identify a binding investment amount, a fixed mission schedule or a finalized list of contracted projects.
It would therefore be inaccurate to describe the document as a new satellite order, a confirmed joint launch or an approved programme budget. Technical teams may assess possible areas of work and define specific project proposals in the next stage, but the available reports do not say which projects will start or when.
Türkiye hosts IAC 2026
The International Astronautical Federation is holding IAC 2026 at the NEST Congress Center in Antalya from October 5 to 9. The event is coordinated by Türkiye’s Ministry of Industry and Technology, hosted by the Turkish Space Agency and co-hosted by SAHA Istanbul. It brings together scientists, national agencies, companies, engineers and policy makers from the international space sector.
Anadolu Agency, TRT Haber and Ekonomim reported the two agreements on October 6 with the same core details. TUA’s official IAC page separately confirms the congress dates, location and hosting structure. The reports consistently describe the first document as a continuation of joint CubeSat cooperation and the second as a goodwill agreement with UKSA.
The signatures are a current example of Türkiye’s effort to turn international space contacts into institutional cooperation frameworks. Their practical impact will depend on future technical work programmes, financing arrangements and mission timetables. At this stage, the confirmed result is limited but clear: two cooperation documents were signed during IAC 2026, one supporting the multinational CubeSat initiative and one opening a channel for possible projects with the United Kingdom.
The two documents also have different operational meanings: the Turkic-states framework continues an existing multilateral project, while the UKSA document records an intention to explore cooperation. Neither report supplies the technical detail needed to describe a finalized mission.
