Developed entirely by Fergani Uzay with national funds, Turkey’s first orbital transfer vehicle (YTA) FGN-TUG-S01 has begun its mission in orbit.
Fergani Uzay Teknolojileri, founded by Baykar Chairman and Technical Leader Selçuk Bayraktar, has successfully launched its first YTA FGN-TUG-S01 into orbit, Baykar announced. November 28, 2025 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The device was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket (Transporter-15 mission) at 21.44 Turkish time.
The separation of the first and second stages took place as usual. After the payload separation procedure began, FGN-TUG-S01 successfully separated from the rocket approximately 81 minutes later at 23:05 Turkish time and immediately transmitted the first telemetry data, officially entering the mission execution phase. The launch was an important step in Fergani Uzay’s development of maneuvering and transportation capabilities in space.
FGN-TUG-S01 is the first Turkish orbital tug, which will also be the first vehicle to ignite a hybrid rocket engine directly in orbit. Once in operational orbit, YTA will perform the first scheduled firing of this engine.
This maneuver will go down in history as the first orbital firing of a hybrid rocket motor in the world. Thanks to a safe and economical hybrid propulsion system, the device will be able to transfer satellites to different orbits and extend their service life.
FGN-TUG-S01 will be a new milestone in Fergani Uzay’s future missions related to the creation of orbital constellations at different altitudes. Starting in low orbit (about 500 km), it will lift the company’s satellites into higher orbits above 1000 km.
Critical systems of the first Turkish YTA on-board computer, avionics, power distribution units and thermal control were designed and manufactured by Fergani Uzay engineers in Turkey. With the successful launch, the country has taken a significant step towards becoming the first nation to test a hybrid engine in orbit, opening a new chapter in the development of Turkish space technology.
The launch process was monitored by Fergani Uzay CEO Selçuk Bayraktar and the engineering team from the Space Mission Observation and Control Center at the Ozdemir Bayraktar National Technology Center.
Bayraktar issued a statement. noted that the company, founded in 2022, is already working with a team of 135 people:
“Three weeks ago we put our second satellite into operation. And today our first orbital tug, developed entirely in-house, went into space. We implement all projects from design to production based on our own resources. Our YTA, equipped with domestic on-board computers, power and avionics systems, will become the starting point of our country’s maneuverability in space,” said he.