1st signal received from Türkiye’s newly launched observation satellite IMECE

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - The first signal has been received from Türkiye's newly launched observation satellite IMECE, the country’s industry and technology minister said on Saturday.

IMECE has settled in its orbit and the first high-resolution image will be received in two weeks, Mustafa Varank said on Twitter.

Türkiye on Saturday successfully launched its first indigenous high-resolution Earth observation satellite, IMECE, into space.

The Turkish-made pioneering satellite was blasted off early on Saturday from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the US state of California at 0648 GMT.

The launch marks the first time that Türkiye will have an electro-optical satellite camera with sub-meter resolution in orbit.

The IMECE's orbit will be sun-synchronous at an altitude of 680 kilometers (422.5 miles) and serve in the areas of defense, disaster management, environment and urbanization, and agriculture and forestry.