KOCAELI, Turkey 

A space-qualified solar panel developed by the Marmara Research Center (MAM) of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) will be the basic load on Turkey’s first indigenous high-resolution observation satellite, Imece, planned to be launched to space in 2022.

Having successfully completed all required tests, the solar panel will meet the energy needs of national satellites by producing electricity from sunlight.

The indigenous panel, with a capacity to produce 100 watts of power in challenging space conditions, will eliminate Turkey’s foreign dependence on critical space technologies.

"Our solar panels have been transferred to the Space Institute, the partner of our project, and they are now ready for integration," TUBITAK MAM Materials Institute Director Metin Usta told Anadolu Agency.

“Ground level verification, qualification, and functionality tests of the solar panels have been successfully completed in accordance with international standards,” Alper Secgin, the project coordinator, said.

* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara