The space technology race I have been talking about for ten years has finally begun

For nearly ten years, I have been saying the same thing in the conferences I attend, on television programs, and in my columns: The world's next great race will be in space technologies. Years ago, during a meeting in Mersin with the President of KOSGEB, the topic turned to space technologies, and I asked about the support available in this field. He laughed and replied, "We just wrote that down so it would be there." That day, his words showed me not just a bureaucratic approach, but also how Turkey views the future. Yet, at the point we have reached today, we see that the topic they said was "just there" has turned into one of the world's greatest economic races.

We are no longer talking only about astronauts, Moon missions, or dreams of Mars when we speak of space. Space is becoming the new infrastructure of the global economy. GPS systems, weather forecasting, global communications, internet infrastructure, and military systems have already been dependent on space for years. Now, we are going far beyond that. The production, energy, data, and communication infrastructure of the world economy is slowly preparing to move into space.

The most important reason for this change is the extraordinary drop in launch costs. Thanks to reusable rocket technologies, costs that were unimaginable just a few years ago have now become a reality. Sending cargo into space has become approximately 90 percent cheaper. This alone has changed the entire economic equation, because many business models that previously seemed like science fiction are now becoming economically viable.

For example, today, a zero-gravity environment can provide much higher purity in the production of semiconductors, which are one of the most critical components of artificial intelligence. Similarly, energy consumption and cooling, which are the largest cost items for AI data centers, could have very different advantages in space. The absence of an atmosphere, the ability to utilize solar energy much more efficiently, and natural cooling opportunities could significantly reduce the bottlenecks on which technology companies spend billions of dollars today. We have not reached this point yet, but we now see that these are not science fiction, but real engineering projects being worked on.

The economic dimension of the matter is even more striking. According to McKinsey, the size of the global space economy could reach approximately 1.8 trillion dollars by 2035. Morgan Stanley also predicts that the space economy will reach a volume of over 1 trillion dollars by 2040. The estimates may differ, but they all point to the same thing: We are facing a massive economic transformation.

At the center of this race are not just rocket manufacturers. Satellite manufacturers, communication companies, firms developing space robots, energy systems, solar panels, space manufacturing technologies, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and even agriculture are becoming part of this ecosystem. The large part of the world that does not yet have mobile communication, billions of people without internet access, autonomous vehicles, unmanned systems, and robotic technologies could enter a completely different era thanks to space-based communication.

Therefore, the issue is no longer just "sending rockets to space." The real issue is who will build the new infrastructure of the world economy.

America is among the countries that see this best. The space strategy documents published by the White House no longer speak only of scientific goals, but directly of economic and geopolitical superiority. Goals such as establishing a permanent American presence on the Moon by 2028 and building a nuclear reactor on the lunar surface by 2030 are being discussed. In addition, billions of dollars in new investments are planned for the American space sector. Because the issue is no longer just going to the Moon; it is staying on the Moon, producing there, and seizing economic superiority.

The competition between China and America is no longer just about artificial intelligence or semiconductors. Space is becoming the new front of this struggle. Whoever settles first, whoever builds the infrastructure first, will largely determine the economic superiority of future generations. The rule we have seen throughout history in sea routes, the industrial revolution, oil, the internet, and artificial intelligence has not changed. Those who arrive first write the rules of the game.

Unfortunately, Turkey is once again lagging behind in this race.

We are still only talking about launching rockets when we say space. Yet, the space economy is a new industrial revolution that will grow hundreds of different sectors simultaneously, from software to electronics, from artificial intelligence to materials science, and from robotics to energy technologies. Every step not taken today will lead to very heavy costs tomorrow, not just in terms of technology, but in terms of economic independence.

I have been making the same warning for years. Space technology is no longer a matter of prestige; it is a direct development policy. Turkey needs to accelerate initiatives in this field, encourage the private sector, create investment funds, restructure universities in line with this goal, and prepare the necessary legal infrastructure without delay.

In fact, if I were a member of parliament in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey today, one of my priority agenda items would be to prepare entrepreneurship and investment laws regarding the space economy. Because we no longer have time to lose. The race I talked about ten years ago has officially begun today. And we are still watching from the stands. While the world's new wealth is being created in space, Turkey does not have the luxury of remaining a spectator to this race.