Türkiye’s first indigenous communications satellite ready for launch

Türkiye’s first indigenous communications satellite Turksat 6A will be launched into orbit on Monday at 2121GMT from SpaceX’s Kennedy facility in Florida.

Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Monday that the launch will mark Türkiye as one of the 11 countries capable of producing satellites through its own means.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to broadcast a video message after the launch, while Uraloglu will also establish a live connection from the Kennedy Space Center.

“Turksat 6A will set off with a propulsion system after the launch, reaching its permanent orbit at 42 degrees East, where we plan to conduct orbital tests for a month,” said Uraloglu.

The minister noted that Turksat 6A will widen the country’s satellite coverage and meet the television broadcasting needs.

“India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, which were not served by currently operating satellites, will be covered with Turksat 6A, reaching 5 billion people,” the minister added.

10 years in the making

Turksat 6A has been some 10 years in the making.

Turksat 1C, the successor of the first communications satellite Turksat 1B, was launched in 1995, followed by Turksat 2A in 2001, Turksat 3A in 2008, Turksat 4B in 2014, Turksat 5A in 2021, and Turksat 5B in 2022.

Turkish engineers took part in Turksat’s construction of the 4A and 4B satellites, as well as in the design, production, and testing phases of 5A and 5B.

The indigenous Turksat 6A project was officially launched on Dec. 15, 2014, beginning with the opening of the Space Systems Assembly Integration and Test Center established at Turkish Aerospace Industries facilities, in cooperation with Turksat and Türkiye’s Defence Industries Agency.

Turkish-based defence firms Aselsan, C2TECH, and Turkish Aerospace Industries together with Turkish Space Agency, Turksat and TUBITAK completed the satellite’s construction.

Development of Turksat 6A

The preliminary review phase of the craft started in 2015, and the first critical review phase started the next year.

The thermal structural qualification model was completed by 2017, and the second critical review phase began in 2018, while the engineering model satellite’s construction started in 2019 and concluded in 2022.

The craft’s flight model’s initial functional and thermal vacuum tests were done the same year.

In 2023, Turksat 6A’s flight model vibration and acoustic tests as well as its shock test and fit check were done.

The craft’s tests were officially finalised in 2024, and its mass properties were measured in April, followed by its delivery to the SpaceX facility in Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida on June 4.

With all the preparations completed, Türkiye’s first indigenous satellite is ready for launch on board a Falcon 9 rocket.