Türkiye sends 1st indigenous satellite to US for launch

ANKARA

Türkiye has dispatched its first domestically produced communications satellite, Türksat-6A, to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the U.S., where it will be launched into space next month.

The satellite embarked on a 17-hour journey aboard a cargo aircraft, after which it will be entrusted to the teams of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

A ceremony was held on June 4 at the Ankara facility where the satellite’s testing transpired, attended by Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.

Speaking at the event, Kacır described the satellite as “the highest technological value” the country has ever produced.

The Turkish team assigned to the launch will also travel to Florida, and upon arrival, they will initiate SpaceX’s launch procedures. The satellite will undergo tests post-landing, and its fueling operations will be conducted in the SpaceX hangar.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is slated to propel Türksat-6A into its orbit between July 8 and 15, Kacıir said, without specifying an exact day.

Boasting an indigenization rate exceeding 80 percent, Türksat-6A was produced by Turkish engineers at the Space Systems Integration and Test Center (USET) in Ankara. Positioned at a 42-degree east orbit, the satellite will be stationed 35,786 kilometers from Earth.

With a power capacity of 7.5 kilowatts and weighing 4,250 kilograms, the satellite will extend coverage to certain regions in India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, which are currently beyond the reach of existing Turkish satellites.

The operational commencement of the satellite is projected to significantly amplify the country’s satellite service exports to the region.

It is designed to operate for a mission period of 15 years and boasts a high degree of domestic production, significantly reducing foreign dependency on the satellite and space sector, the transport minister said.

Türkiye, having joined the elite cadre of nations capable of producing communication satellites, aspires to elevate its status to that of a satellite exporter following the Türksat-6A experience, he expressed.

“With Türksat-6A, the population reached by Türkiye’s satellites will escalate from 3.5 billion to 5 billion. The inauguration of the satellite will also considerably boost Turkish satellite service exports to the world,” Uraloğlu stated.

Türkiye is now carrying out services such as communication and television broadcasting through five Turkish satellites.

In the coming days, the launch of the first indigenous satellite will augment the fleet’s satellite count to six. Türkiye is poised to enter the ranks of the 11 nations with satellite production capabilities.