Qatar to fund joint satellite project with Turkey

Turkey and Qatar will jointly develop and expand a new satellite project to improve broadband and mobility coverage across the Middle East and North Africa.

The Es’hail-3/Turksat-Biruni satellite project will be funded by Qatar, the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency reported, quoting Turkish transport minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu.

No financial details were given.

As part of the deal, state-backed Turksat and the Qatar-based satellite operator Es’hailSat will collaborate on capacity sharing and the long-term commercial growth of the project, the minister said.

The two companies will jointly evaluate their satellite assets, ground infrastructure, distribution networks and customer portfolios, he added.

The satellite will offer high-speed broadband connectivity services in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as aviation and maritime mobility services.

Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between France’s Thales and Italy’s Leonardo, will build the satellite.

In May, Turkey’s industry and technology minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said the country plans to reach the Moon in 2027 using its own hybrid rocket engine.

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