Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that Türkiye's first domestically produced and national communications satellite, Türksat 6A, will be commissioned today in a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
He stated: "With Türksat 6A entering service, the coverage area of our satellites will expand from 3.5 billion to 5 billion people."
In a written statement, Minister Uraloğlu recalled that Türkiye's satellite journey began in 1994 with Türksat 1B, followed by Türksat 1C in 1996 and Türksat 2A in 2001.
Uraloğlu emphasized that Türksat 6A is the result of nearly 20 years of work, involving engineers who worked on Türksat 3A, 4A, and 4B. "With contributions from engineers trained under Türksat's Technology Transfer Program, Türksat 6A was produced with the highest rate of domestic contribution. This success has placed Türkiye among the 11 countries capable of producing communication satellites," he said.
Uraloğlu noted the collaboration with ASELSAN, TUSAŞ, TÜBİTAK Space, and C2TECH in the satellite's development. "Each component produced domestically gained space experience. Our satellite was developed using 84 locally produced components, surpassing 80% domestic content. Since these parts proved successful in space, they are now eligible for export globally."
Highlighting that Türksat 6A strengthens Türkiye's presence in space and reduces dependency on foreign technology, Uraloğlu added:
"This project is vital for our national security. We now produce our own communication satellites without external dependence. All phases of Türksat 6A were completed as planned. Its production, integration, and testing were completed in March 2024 at the Space Systems Integration and Test Center established at TUSAŞ facilities. The satellite was sent to the U.S. on June 4, 2024, via an Antonov 124 aircraft, and arrived at SpaceX facilities in Cape Canaveral on June 5. It was successfully launched into space on July 9, 2024, at 02:30 a.m. via a Falcon 9 rocket and separated from the launcher 35 minutes post-launch."
Uraloğlu mentioned that after five thruster activations, the satellite reached a temporary orbit at 50° East. Orbit tests confirmed all equipment developed for Türksat 6A functioned successfully. He added that several subsystems and experimental components were tested, and payload subsystem tests were completed on October 23, 2024.
He explained that Türksat 6A completed its 12-day journey with six thruster activations, reaching its final operational orbit at 42° East on December 28, 2024. "All necessary tests, including antenna coverage, were successfully completed. Türksat 6A's communication capabilities were practically confirmed with the first test broadcast on February 17."
He noted that Türksat currently operates five communications satellites—Türksat 3A, 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B—at 31°, 42°, and 50° East orbits.
Uraloğlu concluded by announcing the commissioning ceremony of Türksat 6A with President Erdoğan's attendance at the Türksat Gölbaşı Campus today:
"Türksat 6A will provide services to new regions previously not covered by Türksat satellites. Its coverage will expand to include India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. With Türksat 6A entering service, our satellites' coverage area will grow from 3.5 billion to 5 billion people, and the satellite is expected to operate for at least 15 years."
