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<\/p>\nT\u00fcrkiye\u2019s first Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), FGN-TUG-S01, developed indigenously by Fergani Space, has completed its most critical in-space manoeuvre. According to the company\u2019s official press release, the vehicle ignited its hybrid rocket engine in orbit and executed a controlled transition to a higher elliptical orbit.<\/p>\n
FGN-TUG-S01, developed by Fergani Space\u2014founded by Baykar Chairman and CTO Sel\u00e7uk Bayraktar\u2014was launched aboard SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 during the Transporter-15 rideshare mission on 28 November 2025 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. After completing in-orbit checks, the OTV carried out the ignition sequence central to its mission profile.<\/p>\n
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At 07:46 T\u00fcrkiye time on 6 December 2025, the hybrid engine ignited and operated for 35 seconds. This manoeuvre shifted the spacecraft from a 530-kilometer circular orbit to an elliptical orbit with a 720-kilometer apogee. According to the company\u2019s press release, the ignition represents the world\u2019s first orbital firing of a hybrid rocket engine and the first in-space ignition of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s domestically developed hybrid propulsion technology.<\/p>\n
Following the orbit-raising manoeuvre, the mission advanced to its second task: CubeSat deployment. At 11:45, Fergani\u2019s FRG-10D1 CubeSat separated from the OTV and entered its designated orbit, completing the payload delivery sequence.<\/p>\n
FGN-TUG-S01 represents an important step toward T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s independent inter-orbital logistics capabilities. Its flight computer, avionics systems, power distribution units, and thermal control architecture were designed and manufactured in-house by Fergani engineers. The company states that the mission will serve as groundwork for scaling future satellite logistics operations.<\/p>\n
The mission also lays the foundation for the planned Ulu\u011f Bey Global Positioning System. Over the next five years, Fergani Space aims to launch more than 100 satellites to provide T\u00fcrkiye and partner nations with independent positioning and space-logistics capabilities while advancing development of launch systems to achieve independent access to space.<\/p>\n
The Ulu\u011f Bey Global Positioning System, as outlined by Fergani Space, is envisioned as a satellite-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) architecture designed to provide T\u00fcrkiye and partner nations with independent access to precise geolocation services. Unlike current global systems such as the U.S. GPS, Europe\u2019s Galileo, Russia\u2019s GLONASS, or China\u2019s BeiDou\u2014all operated by major state actors\u2014the Ulu\u011f Bey initiative aims to build a regional-to-global constellation operated through a commercial-national hybrid model. If completed, the system would offer redundancy against foreign PNT dependencies, ensure sovereign availability during strategic contingencies, and potentially provide enhanced service tiers tailored to defence, civil aviation, and emerging autonomous platforms across friendly nations.<\/p>\n