Türkiye’s latest launch into orbit boosts its satellite count to nine
ANKARA
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying a Turksat 6A communications satellite, lifts off at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, July 8, 2024.
Turksat 6A, Türkiye’s first homegrown communications satellite, was launched this week into space as the result of 10 years of work, boosting the number of Türkiye’s active satellites to nine.
After successfully passing all tests, Turksat 6A was launched into space by Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket on Monday.
Following the completion of testing, the satellite is expected to become operational within approximately one month. Turkish communication service coverage will expand to include regions such as India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, thereby increasing the population reached by Türkiye's satellites from 3.5 billion to over 5 billion.
Throughout this period, Türksat 6A is expected to meet a substantial portion of Türkiye's communication satellite needs.
The satellite, developed with an 80 percent domestic production rate, comprises 84 components manufactured in Türkiye.
With the launch, Türkiye has joined the elite group of 11 countries capable of constructing their own communication satellites.
Türksat 6A will harness its requisite energy for uninterrupted communication through solar panels. This system will ensure the satellite's sustained high-power output and prolonged operational efficacy.
Sending a video to a ceremony in the capital Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Türkiye is expanding its presence in space with the new move “despite obstacles and restrictions.”
Erdoğan said Türkiye also sent its Türksat 5B satellite by the same rocket two and a half years ago, adding: "We are pleased to strengthen our cooperation with Elon Musk and SpaceX in various fields."
He also said it is significant that Türkiye is able to produce critical communications satellites without foreign dependence.
As part of its national space program, Türkiye realized its first manned space travel recently, he recalled.
With Türksat 6A, Türkiye reached a new phase in the production of satellites, Erdogan noted.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz also noted that the satellite is the highest-value technology project produced by the country so far.
Host of satellites
With the experience of the Turkish engineers who produced Turksat 6A, Türkiye became one of the few countries capable of producing communication satellites, and eventually looks to become a satellite exporter.
Turksat 1C, the successor of the first communications satellite Turksat 1B, was launched in 1996, followed by Turksat 2A in 2001, Turksat 3A in 2008, Turksat 4A in 2014, Turksat 4B in 2015, and Turksats 5A and 5B in 2021.
The IMECE Earth observation satellite, which launched from the U.S. in 2023, is set to serve for five years, providing services from defense to disaster management, from the environment to urban planning, and from agriculture to forestry.
Gokturk-1, a favorite of the Turkish Armed Forces, which can conduct reconnaissance anywhere in the world and send high-resolution images, was launched into space in 2016.
Gokturk-2, produced under a contract signed by Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK), went into orbit in a 2012 launch.
The satellite provides for the needs of the Turkish Armed Forces, especially the Air Force Command.
RASAT, the first earth observation satellite designed and built in Türkiye, launched from Russia in 2011.
As a result, Tubitak Space Technologies Research Institute and Turkish Aerospace Industries gained infrastructure and capabilities while training specialized manpower to take part in future satellite projects.