Home

ITU Astronautical Engineering Department

Istanbul Technical University Department of Astronautical Engineering is one of Türkiye’s most established academic units training engineers in the field of space technologies. The department was founded in 1983 within the Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics under its first name, the Department of Space Sciences and Technology, and began undergraduate education in the 1986-1987 academic year. In accordance with the decision of the Council of Higher Education dated April 16, 1997, the department’s name was changed to the Department of Astronautical Engineering as of the 1998-1999 academic year.

Astronautical engineering is a broad engineering discipline that covers the design, development, analysis, production, and operation processes of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft, satellites, and launch vehicles that carry these systems into orbit, as well as mission planning, control systems, and scientific studies conducted in the space environment. The department aims to educate qualified engineers who can work in the aerospace sector by providing students with a strong theoretical foundation as well as applied engineering skills.

The ITU Astronautical Engineering Undergraduate Program is a 240 ECTS-credit program whose language of instruction is entirely English. Accredited by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission, the program offers education at international standards and also provides students with the opportunity to study at various universities in Europe through the Erasmus exchange program.

Throughout their education, students gain a comprehensive learning experience enriched with laboratory studies, engineering projects, and research activities in addition to theoretical courses. They have the opportunity to work in current fields such as satellite systems, aerodynamics, computational engineering, composite materials, multidisciplinary design optimization, and artificial intelligence-supported engineering applications. The department has built a strong research and development culture by actively contributing to many important satellite projects, including ITUpSAT-1, Türkiye’s first CubeSat, as well as TURKSAT 3USAT, UBAKUSAT, BEEAGLESAT, HAVELSAT, ASELSAT, SHARJAHSAT-1, and PAUSAT.

Graduates of the department have employment opportunities in institutions such as TUBITAK UZAY, TUBITAK SAGE, FERGANI, TUSAS, ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, HAVELSAN, TEI, and Turkish Airlines, as well as in various technology and engineering fields in the private sector. Graduates also have the opportunity to develop careers in different areas of specialization such as satellite technologies, rocket systems, aircraft and spacecraft design, control systems, software development, structural analysis, materials technologies, and academic research.