Space Diplomacy: The Case of Türkiye as a Regional Actor

After the launch of Sputnik-I in 1957, the space age had begun. Initially, the USSR and USA were the primary actors in the space race. However, countries such as Canada, France, China, India, and Japan along with European nations would also become prominent actors in the space race over time. The inherent benefits of investing in space play a decisive role in countries’ expanding space-related activities by bringing not only technological and strategic benefits, but also, and most importantly, prestige in the international arena. Therefore, almost any country one could care to mention is striving to develop their space ecosystems and take part in the space race in today’s world with all the resources and capabilities they have. Even though Türkiye joined the space race relatively late compared to the abovementioned countries, it has made remarkable progress in the last two decades. Undoubtedly, the establishment of Turkish Space Agency in 2018 was one of most significant achievements in this realm, as national agencies play a crucial role in developing states’ domestic and national capabilities in the field of space. Shortly after its establishment, the Turkish agency announced its National Space Program in 2021, a comprehensive project that aims to coordinate and integrate Türkiye’s vision, strategies, goals, and projects in space over the next decade. In this sense, the aim of this study is to analyse Türkiye’s space diplomacy activities in the 21st century by focusing on national policies, visions, objectives, and regional and international collaborations in this realm to gain a better understanding about Türkiye’s international standings in the global space race.