| Mission type | Earth observation |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2023-054A |
| SATCATno. | 56178 |
| Website | https://uzay.tubitak.gov.tr/en/imece/ |
| Mission duration | 5 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute (TÜBİTAK UZAY) |
| Launch mass | 800 kg (1,800 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 15 April 2023, 06:48 UTC[1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous |
| Altitude | 680 km (420 mi) |
| Main Camera | |
| Collecting area | 13.9 km × 16.2 km (8.6 mi × 10.1 mi) |
| Resolution | Panchromatic (PAN): 0.99 m (3 ft 3 in) Multispectral (MSI): 3.96 m (13.0 ft) |
İMECE is anEarth observation satellite designed and developed byTÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute (TÜBİTAK UZAY) and produced inTurkey to provide high resolution imagery.
The satellite was launched in April 2023.
The IMECE Satellite Systems Infrastructure Project was included in the 2013 investment program of theMinistry of Development. With the experience ofBİLSAT-1,RASAT andGöktürk-2, the investment program supported "IMECE Satellite Subsystems Development Project" was initiated in order to establish the infrastructure required for the domestic development of satellite subsystems that can be used in satellites of submeter-class precision resolutionelectro-optical satellite camera and communication systems. It aims to developstar tracker,Sun sensor,electric propulsion system,payloaddata record compression formatting unit and new generationflight computer in high resolution imaging satellites and transform it into economic value.[2]
The IMECE Satellite Project, supported byScientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), started in January 2017.[2][3] In June 2020, the assembly integration activities of the spacecraft's thermal structural efficiency module was completed, and tests for the vibration on the spacecraft started. The assembly activities of the flight module followed those tests.[3]
The satellite has been launched on 15 April 2023 on aSpaceX'sFalcon 9 Block 5 rocket as part of the Transporter-7 ridershare mission.[1]
The spacecraft is manufactured byTÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute (TÜBİTAK UZAY) at theTurkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) facility inKahramankazan, Ankara.[4]
Projected for a mission duration of five years, the spacecraft has a mass of 800 kg (1,800 lb). It will be at 680 km (420 mi) on aSun-synchronousgeocentric orbit. It will have an image area of 13.9 km × 16.2 km (8.6 mi × 10.1 mi) in one frame with an image resolution of Panchromatic (PAN): 0.99 m (3 ft 3 in), Multispectral (MSI): 3.96 m (13.0 ft).[2]