TÜRKSAT 6A, Turkey's first indigenous and national communication satellite, has successfully settled into its mission orbit at 42° East longitude.
Launched on 9 July 2024, TÜRKSAT 6A completed the critical steps in the process leading to this success on schedule. After being launched into space, TÜRKSAT 6A first settled into the test orbit at 50° East longitude. After the tests carried out here were completed as planned, the transition process to the final mission orbit of 42° East longitude began on 16 December 2024. After five orbital manoeuvres, the satellite was successfully placed into its mission orbit on 28 December 2024.
While the tests in the mission orbit will continue at 42° East longitude, physical installations and virtual stations will be completed within the scope of ground segment activities, while the acceptance process of ground station software and end-user training will continue. Following the completion of these processes, the satellite will be transferred to TÜRKSAT A.Ş.
TÜRKSAT 6A was implemented under the coordination of TÜBİTAK UZAY in cooperation with local business partners such as TAI, ASELSAN and CTECH. The project was funded by TÜBİTAK, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Presidency of Defence Industries and TÜRKSAT A.Ş. The indigenous equipment used in the development process of the satellite made significant contributions to the technical capacity of our country. With the contribution of more than 20 national companies and nearly 400 experts, critical subsystems were developed domestically.
This project, which took our country a step forward in space studies, reinforced Turkey's independence in the field of space by making it one of the 11 countries capable of developing communication satellites.
TÜRKSAT 6A will not only increase and back up Turkey's communication capacity for more than 15 years, but will also provide access to a wide region covering Europe, North Africa and Asia.
