Policy of Orbit: An Anatomy of Türkiye’s Presence in Space

Abstract

Space, as an extension of state activity, has emerged as a highly complex and contested domain due to its multidimensional nature. This study examines how the concept of “space” is understood and constructed in Türkiye’s official space policy through a systematic analysis of key policy documents. Drawing on the framing approach as a theoretical perspective, the article aims to make visible the patterns, clusters of meaning, and inter-conceptual relationships within Turkish space policy documents. This theoretical lens not only facilitates a deeper understanding of the prevailing policy paradigm but also equips policy actors with the analytical tools to anticipate future trajectories. Despite the increasing visibility of space activities in Türkiye, a systematic analyses of how these policies are formed remain limited. Addressing this gap, the empirical material comprises core documents produced by the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), established in 2018, including strategic plans and the National Space Programme. Covering the 2020–2025 period, Text Network Analysis (TNA) and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling implemented in the R programming language. This methodological combination enables both visual mapping of key concepts and the identification of latent themes that are often overlooked in manual analysis.

The results reveal that Türkiye’s presence in space is framed predominantly around national identity, complemented by a secondary emphasis on institutional capacity framework. The findings indicate that Türkiye positions its space presence through these frames rather than prioritizing cooperation, geopolitical competition, security, or purely scientific development. Consequently, the study demonstrates that Türkiye's current policy is oriented towards autonomous capability building and domestic production within national borders, maintaining a national identity framework over competitive or cooperative strategies.