Turkish president, SpaceX CEO discuss cooperation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk have discussed cooperation in various fields during a phone conversation.

Space technologies was the main topic of discussion on the fields of cooperation between Turkey's public and private sectors and Musk’s company, Turkey’s Presidency said on Wednesday.

"We will continue to closely follow the developments in our country and the world in the field of technology and to support every step taken in this field in order to benefit our nation," President Erdogan said in a Telegram statement.

SpaceX and Turkey's past cooperation

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk visited Turkey in November 2017 which opened a door for cooperation on using the company's rocket launchers.

The cooperation resulted in a recent launch of Turkey's fifth-generation satellite Turksat 5A by SpaceX with a Falcon 9 rocket from the company's Cape Canaveral base in Florida.

READ MORE: Turkey launches fifth-generation satellite Turksat 5A

Turksat 5A was launched with the aim to provide TV broadcasting and communication services across European, African and Asian continents.

Turkey will also launch another communication satellite, the Turksat 5B, in June, country's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu had previously announced. 

The cooperation resulted  in a recent launch of Turkey's fifth-generation satellite Turksat 5A by the US-based technology company SpaceX with a Falcon 9 rocket from the company's Cape Canaveral base in Florida.