Countdown to start for two new Turkish satellites

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Turkey is to launch Türksat 4A by the end of this year. AA photo

The Türksat 4A and Türksat 4B satellites, which have been built jointly by Turkish and Japanese engineers, are about to be completed, Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım has said.

“98.8 percent of Türksat 4A and 89 percent of Türksat 4B is finished. After their tests are completed, we will send Türksat 4A to space at the end of this year and Türksat 4B in the first quarter of 2014,” Yıldırım said.

He also said the final stage of equipment building and integration of the two satellites that started being built two years ago in Japan had been reached. The building of the two satellites is continuing under the supervision of Türksat AŞ. Company, with the participation of 15 Turkish engineers.

“With Türksat 4A, also the African continent will be covered by our satellites. With this satellite, we will be able to cover the entire continent … The satellite functional and environmental tests, known as space environment compliance tests before the launch, will be conducted soon. We plan to finish these tests in six months and launch Türksat 4A into space,” Yıldırım said.

Türksat 4B is also being assembled alongside 4A, and will host 43 channels when finally operational. Türksat 4B will be orbiting at 50 degrees east and, like Türksat 4A, will cover North Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

It will also offer Internet services, and will be able to provide cheap broadband Internet to those regions in Turkey where the Internet is not available through the current terrestrial infrastructure, as well as to some neighboring countries. With the launching of the two satellites, Turkey’s satellite capacity will increase to three times the present one.