TÜBİTAK-UZAY The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey Space Technologies Research
TÜBITAK-UZAY (Space Technolog
Date: Issue 7 - January 2008
TÜBITAK-UZAY specializes in space technologies, electronics, information technologies and related fields.The Institute conducts its research and development activities in the following areas with a total of 215 staff members, out of which 165 are researchers and
technical support personnel. Space Technologies: Satellite systems, satellite sub-systems, satellite ground station sub-systems, satellite
test and integration systems. Electronics: Communication systems, electronics system design, electro- optic mission payload, high-speed digital design, IC design. Software: Computer vision, speech processing, pattern recognition, remote sensing, multimedia technologies, data mining, machine learning,
natural language processing, artificial intelligence. Power Electronics: Power quality,
compensation systems, electrical motor drives, switching power supplies,renewable energy resources.
Power Distribution Systems: Analysis of electric production and transmission systems, strategic
research and development in distribution automation, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems, criteria setting for planning, design and operation of distribution systems.
ORGANIZATION
TÜBITAK-UZAY is organized in 9 research groups, a project management and quality support unit, and technical administrative support units.
The research groups are, alphabetically:
* Communication Systems
• Computer Vision, Speech
Processing, Pattern Recognition
and Remote Sensing
• Electronic System Design
• Information Security and
Application Software Development
• Information Technologies
Hardware Development and Power
Systems
• Integrated Circuit Design
• Intelligent Energy Conversion
• Power Electronics
• Satellite Technologies
SPACE RELATED R&D PROJECTS
TÜBITAK-UZAY has a pioneering role in space technologies in Turkey. Some examples of our projects for creating the technological basis of the Turkish Space Program are listed below.
RESEARCH SATELLITE (BILSAT) PROJECT
The aim of BILSAT project was to initiate, develop and support small satellite technologies in Turkey. In cooperation with Surrey Satellite
Technology Limited (SSTL), the infrastructure
for design and manufacturing of small satellites and a ground station were established, and BILSAT, Turkey’s first remote sensing satellite,
was manufactured and launched. Also, a Turkish engineering team has worked in cooperation with SSTL engineers in design, manufacturing, test
and launch phases of BILSAT. Two payloads of the satellite, GEZGIN and ÇOBAN, were designed and manufactured by TÜBITAK-UZAY staff in Turkey and integrated into BILSAT.
GEZGIN (Real time image processor): A satellite sub-system capable of real time multi-band image
compression in compliance with JPEG 2000 standard.
ÇOBAN (Multi Band Camera): An eight-band multispectral camera with a ground sampling distance of 120 m.
RASAT PROJECT
With the financial support of State Planning Organization, TÜBITAKUZAY has started the RASAT project in order to improve satellite design and
manufacturing capabilities in Turkey. RASAT is planned to be launched in late 2008, and it will be the first satellite designed and built entirely in Turkey.
SATELLITE SUB-SYSTEMS
ALP: A sub-system that controls the charging / discharging of a Li-Ion battery block. It will be used as main power storage system in future missions.
GEZGIN-2: The new version of the real-time JPEG2000 image compression system, GEZGIN, that will also include total integration of JPEG2000
algorithm and new image processing and encryption capabilities.
X-BAND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM:
Communication system designed for low earth orbit spacecraft to provide a 100 Mb/s downlink at 7W output using an efficient power amplifier.
BiLGE (FLIGHT COMPUTER): A flight computer for use in space missions that require high performance, with the capability to utilize Spacewire, which is a high-speed data bus standard advocated by the European Space
Agency (ESA).
IMAGE ARCHIVING, BROWSING
AND PROCESSING SYSTEM: A system to archive images downloaded from satellites, allowing browsing through the images and processing at
various levels.
SOME OTHER PROJECTS
NATIONAL POWER QUALITY
PROJECT OF TURKEY
A project supported by TÜBITAK 1007-Funding Program for monitoring the components affecting the power quality and the reactive power flow in
Turkish Electrical Power Transmission System, determination and evaluation of the problems thereof and implementation of counter measures. The project is conducted in collaboration
with TEIAS, TÜBITAK-UZAY, Middle East Technical University, Hacettepe, 9 Eylül and Yıldız Technical Universities. HESKON A project for design, development and prototype production of an automation and control, measurement and protection system for small and medium sized hydroelectric power plants- HEPP. The project is supported by TÜBITAK 1007-Funding Program. A
domestic packet solution for HEPP automation and control system will be developed for TEMSAN, which is a national public corporation supplying infrastructure for the hydro electrical power plants. SKAAS SKAAS is a large scale digital media archiving and content management system development project. The client of the project, Radio and Television Supreme Council of Turkey,
demands monitoring of more than 300 TV channels and 900 radio stations which constitutes all the broadcast content of Turkey. TÜBITAK UZAY,
with its expertise on audio/image/video processing and pattern recognition, is responsible for the development of the software component of the system, for the analysis of video, voice and image as a sub-contractor of TÜBITAK-UEKAE.
BALISTIKA
A system for matching cartridge cases and bullets, using ballistic traces after firing, using 3D scanning of surfaces via its own 3D shape extraction system and matching algorithm. The operator can move a virtual light over the surfaces and control the visualization process, as if the physical cartridge case or bullet is at hand. Its modular design enables scalability and expandability of its capacity, both in terms of storage and processing power, depending on the workload. The system is unique in the world with its use of 3D data, its high success in matching, and its scalability.