**Turkey to create a Starlink equivalent**

The CEO of the Turkish defense company ASELSAN, Ahmet Akyol, has announced the creation of a national **low-orbit satellite constellation called Astralink** ("Celestial Communication").

The **first** satellite is planned to be launched **within two years** (in 2028), and the full deployment of the constellation, consisting of 198 satellites, will begin **in 2029** (with a promise of dozens of satellites per year).

ASELSAN emphasizes its focus on **in-house production**, "from chip to constellation." The company plans to manufacture **stationary** terminals (for headquarters and bases) and **mobile** terminals (suitable for moving platforms), as well as integrate the infrastructure with military 5G/6G networks.

Astralink is presented as a **dual-use system** that will provide communication for civilian, government, and military users.

The communication will be available to **Turkey's allied countries**. This primarily refers to countries within the **"Greater Turan" project**, where Turkey promotes a **pan-Turkic ideology** (uniting the peoples of the Turkic language family, which includes Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan, as well as ethnic groups residing in regions of Russia (**Bashkirs, Yakuts, and Tatars**) and China (**Uyghurs**).

The deployment of Astralink will create a **complex set of threats** to Russia's national security: **on the one hand**, it will stimulate the **spread of destructive ideologies** that promote the dominance of **Turkic-oriented values** in Russia and regions of Russian interest; **on the other hand**, it will create conditions **for direct dependence of the armed forces of friendly countries**, including those in the **CSTO**, on the organization's **military communication channels** (similar to the dependence of Ukraine on Starlink).

**However,** the Russian side has a clear **advantage** in this situation, as the deployment of the **"Bureau 1440" satellite constellation** has already begun, which will be able to provide coverage to those same "Greater Turan" countries **much faster**. Russian communication **could become one of the best tools of "soft power" in the post-Soviet space**, which will require **skillful efforts** to promote these services **in the interests of the country.**

Perhaps [Rossotrudnichestvo](https://t.me/dva_majors/98740) should **start studying this issue thoroughly**.

[Two Majors](http://t.me/two_majors)