In the Media: Turkey’s 6th ‘Low Earth Orbit Satellite Ground Observation Station’ Established in Adana
The Missed Opportunity of High Altitude Ballooning (HAB) at Mersin Teknopark in 2019
In 2019, a proposal was presented to Mersin Teknopark in Turkey to establish a High Altitude Ballooning (HAB) station. This innovative project involved launching meteorological balloons to collect data and capture space photographs. It was to be tracked using amateur radio systems, with data accessible on platforms like aprs.fi and tracker.habhub.org. The project required no special permissions in Turkey, as there was no specific legislation for unmanned balloons at the time.
The vision was to integrate Mersin Teknopark into the global HAB network, habhub, developed by the UK High Altitude Society (UKHAS). The HAB Monitoring Station, which could be operated using a Raspberry Pi 3+ and Linux System, would allow tracking of balloons globally. However, Turkey lacked a habhub monitoring station, a crucial element for the project’s success.
Unfortunately, the project did not come to fruition due to the absence of a recognized high-altitude balloon project in Turkey and the lack of a local habhub station. This missed opportunity underscores the challenges in implementing global scientific networks in regions where such activities are not yet established, highlighting the need for advancement in scientific collaboration and space exploration initiatives.
