Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made assessments regarding the current status of Turkey’s first domestic and national communication satellite Türksat 6A, which was sent to Space X’s Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida, USA, on June 4, at a press conference held at Türksat.
Uraloğlu stated that they share the pride of crowning Turkey’s satellite broadcasting adventure, which started with Türksat 1B in 1994, with the first domestic and national communication satellite, Türksat 6A. Emphasizing that the country has taken important steps in satellite and space technologies in recent years, Uraloğlu also shared details about the production process of Türksat 6A.
- Work has begun on USET, which was established in TUSAŞ facilities in 2015 with the cooperation of Türksat and the Presidency of Defense Industries.
- A detailed ‘critical review phase’ was carried out on 26 December 2016.
- In 2018, the Thermal Structural Adequacy Model was completed and the second critical review phase began.
- Construction of the Engineering Model began in 2019 and was completed in 2022.
- Flight Model Initial Functional Tests were conducted in June 2022.
- Thermal Vacuum Tests of the Flight Model were completed in December 2022.
Uraloğlu also shared information about the launch procedures of Türksat 6A, stating that with the activation of Türksat 6A, they will both ensure the redundancy of existing satellites and meet Turkey’s satellite communication needs by increasing capacity.
Uraloğlu also emphasized that Türksat 6A will play an important role in regional satellite services and that Turkey’s progress in satellite communication technologies will also contribute to regional countries. With the entry into service of Türksat 6A, Türksat’s satellite service exports to the region are expected to increase.
Uraloğlu stated that with the start of operations of Türksat 6A, Turkey has secured its orbital rights in space and that they will also take on an active role in space. He also said that Türksat 6A will make Turkey one of the leading countries in the field of satellite communication technologies.
