RASAT

RASAT was an Earth observation satellite designed and developed by TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute (TÜBİTAK UZAY) and produced in Turkey to provide high resolution imagery. It was the first remote sensing satellite fully realized in Turkey, and the second indigenously developed remote sensing satellite after BILSAT-1. Financed by the State Planning Organization (DPT) and designed by TÜBİTAK UZAY without any international know-how transfer, RASAT was launched from Dombarovskiy Cosmodrome, near Yasny in Russia by a Dnepr space launch vehicle at 08:12:20 UTC on August 17, 2011, along with seven other satellites Sich-2 and BPA-2 of Ukraine, NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X of Nigeria, EduSat of India as well as AprizeSat-5 and AprizeSat-6 of Italy. RASAT was placed 16 minutes and 9 seconds after the lift-off into a low Earth orbit of 685 km (426 mi). The first signal from RASAT was received in the space center of Andøya Rocket Range, northern Norway at 09:44:04 UTC. RASAT was controlled and observed at the space center of TÜBİTAK UZAY in Ankara.