By Dilara Zengin
CAPE CANAVERAL, US (AA) – Türkiye’s first indigenous communications satellite Turksat 6A is poised to increase the country’s coverage, Hasan Ertok, CEO of Turksat, told Anadolu at the satellite’s launch ceremony.
Turksat 6A’s space journey has begun, as the satellite was launched off the SpaceX facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Monday at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330GMT).
Ertok said that the satellite project was launched at the end of 2014, and through hard work by Turkish engineers in a decade’s time, it was completed under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ertok emphasized that the success of Turksat 6A as the country’s largest research and development project is a breakthrough.
“It is an important milestone to reach a point where we can design, build, manufacture, test, launch, and operate a satellite of this caliber, which goes on to show that Türkiye is set to become a country capable of making satellites for other countries in the future,” said Ertok.
He noted that Turksat 6A’s inclusion in Türkiye’s state-owned sole satellite operator’s fleet will not only provide a significant coverage increase to its home country, but also expand the area to include India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Ertok mentioned that Turksat 6A will have to go through tests for three months on 50 degrees East orbit, then the satellite will be positioned in its correct orbit within 10 days via propulsion engines to 42 degrees East.
“After conducting the final tests, Turksat 6A will be operational at the end of the year in December by Turksat, while the craft is under Tubitak Uzay control, as they will perform all maneuvers to reach the correct orbit, which they will then transfer to us,” he said.
He added that Turksat 6A’s service life is estimated at approximately 15 years.
*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul