Turkey to launch Turksat 5A satellite in December

Turkey will launch the Turksat 5A satellite in mid-December with the latest technology and more capacity, enabling the expansion of the country's coverage areas, Turksat's general manager said Monday.

"This work has two dimensions. The first is to protect and gain our national sovereignty rights, and the second is to create commercial value with it," said Cenk Sen.

"In this context, we are designing our new satellites, especially Turksat 5A and 5B, to use them in new coverage areas."

The broadcast satellite is expected to spend more than 30 years of its life in orbit, providing television services and improving broadband data networks.

It will carry 42 transponders and will be located at a somewhat unused Turkish orbital slot at 31 degrees East.

Noting that Turksat 5A is a satellite with the new "Ku" frequency band and includes the Middle East, southern Europe and large parts of Africa as its coverage areas, Sen said Turksat 5B will be a backup for Turksat 3A and 4A satellites.

Another Airbus-Turksat 5B is under construction for launch next year.

Turkey is also building its own Turksat 6A craft for launch in 2022.

Turkey signed an agreement with Airbus in 2017 for the production of Turksat 5A and Turksat 5B communications satellites.