2026 OTS Countries to Launch a Joint Satellite Next Year

At the informal summit of the Organisation of Turkic States in Turkestan, Kazakhstan presented a strategic vision of the digital future in which "space diplomacy" is already delivering tangible results.

The flagship project is the CubeSat-12U scientific and technological satellite, which the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development is building in close cooperation with partners from Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. The work follows a synergy-based approach: Kazakhstani space industry specialists in Astana are responsible for design and final assembly at the country's own Assembly and Test Complex; the Uzbek side is developing the propulsion system; and partners from Turkey are supplying solar panels and software.

"For us, this project is far more than just the launch of another spacecraft. It is the first real technological assembly point for our countries. We have combined our competencies: Kazakhstani satellite engineering, Uzbek engineering expertise, and Turkish IT solutions. When the satellite reaches orbit next year, it will be a shared success that proves the Turkic states are capable of jointly delivering the most complex scientific endeavours," stressed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev.

The project has already moved from the drawing board to the hardware assembly stage, with launch scheduled for next year. This will mark an important milestone confirming the seriousness of the Turkic states' technological ambitions.

The participating countries are currently finalising legal and organisational matters through the OTS Secretariat to ensure a successful mission launch. Such cooperation makes it possible not merely to exchange experience, but to create a real high-technology product that will serve as the foundation for a shared engineering school and new joint discoveries in orbit.