Türkiye successfully launches hypersonic test platform into space PHOTO/VIDEO

DeltaV, a Turkish company operating under the Defence Industry Agency, has successfully launched a rocket carrying the HİSTEP hypersonic test platform into space.

The launch took place on June 1 in the northern city of Sinop and marked a significant milestone in the country’s space and defenCe technology development, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media

The rocket reached speeds five times the speed of sound and surpassed an altitude of 200 kilometers, officially entering space. The platform tested during the launch demonstrated Türkiye’s growing capabilities in hypersonic technology.

DeltaV CEO Mehmet Kahraman stated that the system was designed to enable travel at hypersonic speeds, defined as five times the speed of sound or higher. He emphasised that this launch marked the first successful use of the hot stage separation method in a Turkish rocket system—a technique in which the second stage of a two-stage rocket is ignited while still attached to the first stage, and then separates to continue its ascent.

Kahraman explained that once the first stage reached a certain altitude and speed, the second stage was ignited and separated through hot staging, allowing the vehicle to continue accelerating. The platform then reached its peak altitude before descending back to Earth.

By Sabina Mammadli