This year's TEKNOFEST received 1.6 million applications; the rocket final at Aksaray Hisar Shooting Range was held for the 9th time.

Haluk Görgün, Head of the Presidency's Defense Industries, personally attended the 2026 final stage of the TEKNOFEST Rocket Competition held at Aksaray Hisar Shooting Range. A total of 73 teams participated in the competition led by ROKETSAN, including 7 teams from 6 different countries in the international category this year.
According to Anadolu Agency, Görgün made an assessment following the competition: "This year, 1.6 million competitors applied to TEKNOFEST competitions." Emphasizing that the rocket final in Aksaray took place for the 9th time, Görgün said that the scope of the competition both expands and becomes more challenging each year.
The competition is part of the TEKNOFEST organization spanning 13 provinces. Görgün met with teams individually and evaluated their work on site.
Since the first final in 2018, ROKETSAN has continuously managed the competition; at that time, the number of participants was less than one-tenth of today's figure.
Defense Industries Head Görgün attended the 2026 TEKNOFEST Rocket Competition final in Aksaray; 73 teams participated in the competition with 7 teams from 6 countries in the international category. TEKNOFEST received 1.6 million applications this year and the rocket final in Aksaray was held for the 9th time.
The growing participation numbers in the TEKNOFEST rocket competition (a figure that was less than one-tenth in 2018 has multiplied significantly to today) shows that Türkiye is developing an increasingly robust ecosystem in aerospace and space technology. The participation of international teams strengthens the country's global competitiveness in this field and creates career opportunities for young engineers.

Mehmet Yılmaz