Bandırma Missile Club

The Bandırma Missile Club was founded by five high school students at Şehit Mehmet Günenç High School in Bandırma, Balıkesir. In 1957, the club continued under the patronage of a community as the "Rocket Culture Club." Following the global increase in rocket activities and especially after the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik-1, the club sought to raise awareness by expanding its research into space exploration, rockets, missiles, and atomic energy, and by organizing lectures.

Five high school students who conducted research on space and rockets left their school in 1959 and, following the Rocket Culture Club, officially established their association in 1964 under the name "Bandırma Aviation and Rocket Club" (BHARK). The club’s first rocket test, a 3-kilogram, 1-meter-long Bernark-type rocket, reached a height of 40 meters before crashing into the sea and failing. After the second launch attempt also failed, they received negative reactions from the surrounding community. At the time, Cevat Fehmi Başkut, a writer for the newspaper Cumhuriyet, wrote:

"Do not let the young people be discouraged. Let them have their due. They are living in other worlds. Meanwhile, we have not even resolved our own problems on this earth. Let us wait. Let party conflicts end. Let the Algeria issue be settled. Let a republic be declared in Cyprus. Let elections be held. Let congresses not be completed. Of course, rockets will eventually get their turn."

BHARK’s third rocket reached a height of 750 meters. This 10-centimeter-diameter, 1.5-meter-long rocket featured an automatic two-stage ignition mechanism and represented a major achievement by a group of young people. This remarkable success attracted considerable attention in the public and international press; indeed, the American Press Embassy at the time conducted an interview with the club’s president.

^{Club members and the Marmara-1 rocket (Credit:} veryansin.com⁾

In 1966, the association changed its name from Bandırma Aviation and Rocket Club (BHARK) to Bandırma Aviation and Space Association (HUZAD). After their continued successes, Kirkor Divarcı joined the association. With Divarcı’s involvement, the club continued its efforts to launch the rocket named Marmara-1. After their project received approval from Istanbul Technical University, they submitted it to the Armed Forces. The rocket was approved by the Turkish Armed Forces and was scheduled to be launched on 30 June 1962, during Victory Day.

On 30 August 1962, the first large Turkish rocket, the Marmara-1, measuring 1.33 meters in length and weighing 1.5 kilograms, pierced the sky to reach a height of 920 meters. The horizons opened by Marmara-1 spurred further research in this field and generated great excitement. After the launch of the Marmara-1 rocket, Hamdi Varoğlu, a writer for Cumhuriyet newspaper, expressed his support in these words:

"Man has conquered the heavens, traversing every corner of space; soon he will travel to Mars and the Moon as casually as going for morning coffee. Yet we, on this side, instead of showing interest in the young people who are curious and seeking to uncover the secrets of this endeavor, offer them a graveyard of airplanes. There is something even more shameful: the American Rocket Club has been the greatest supporter of the Bandırma youth. No interest, no help, yet we mock the effort. It seems we have not advanced even a barley’s length since Hezarfen Ahmet Efendi."

Just four day after the 30 August launch, HUZAD launched the Marmara-2 rocket and achieved a success that placed it third in an international amateur rocket competition, after the United States (56 km) and Germany (36 km). The Marmara-2 rocket, which reached a height of 822 meters (2700 feet) and traveled a total distance of 15 km road, earned a promise of support from the Chief of the General Staff at the time, who personally met with the club’s president.

^{Club members and delegation meetings (Credit:} veryansin.tv⁾

Following Marmara-2, the club developed the Hürriyet-1 and Hürriyet-2 rockets. Although the Marmara-3 rocket test ended in failure, the club corrected its technical shortcomings and successfully raised the Marmara-4 rocket to an altitude of 5415 meters. Due to the success of Marmara-4, which descended via parachute 200 meters beyond the launch ramp, the Commander of the 6th Main Jet Base, Hv. Law Colonel Halim Menteş, congratulated the team.

In addition to the Marmara and Hürriyet rocket series, the club also developed projects named Ata-1, Aktrüs, Vega, and Sirius. The Vega rocket was designed to be 3.6 meters long and weigh 300 kilograms, with a range of 410 kilometers. The most striking of these projects was Aktrüs. The Aktrüs rocket, measuring 4 meters in length and weighing 500 kilograms, was intended to carry a living being into space and return the separated capsules safely to Earth. However, this project was never realized.

The team, which formalized as the Rocket Culture Club on 17 September 1960, consisted of Ali Osman Caran, Adnan Zambak, Artuğ Sayıner, and Güngör Gezer. Later, Atilla Yedikardaşlar and Kirkor Divarcı also joined the association.

The brain behind the Marmara-1 project, historically recognized as the first Turkish rocket, was Kirkor Divarcı. All written documentation and plans related to the projects were destroyed in a fire that broke out in Divarcı’s home for unknown reasons, along with house and ash.

^{Kirkor Divarcı (Credit:} ensonhaber.com⁾

^{Newspaper front pages of the era (Credit:} ensonhaber.com⁾