Turkey – The Turkish satellite “Türksat A6” began its journey into space, Tuesday, by being launched via a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA, at 02:30 local time in Turkey (GMT+3).
Turkish officials attended the launch of the first domestically-made communications satellite at Cape Canaveral, led by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Oraloglu.
The head of the Turkish Presidency’s Defense Industries, Haluk Gorgun, the director of TurkSat, Hasan Hussein Artuk, and the head of the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TUBITAK), Hasan Mandal, also attended.
The Turksat A6, developed by Turkish engineers, was sent into space from Launch Complex 40 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch took place following being delayed several times due to weather conditions.
The Turksat 6A satellite is expected to separate from the rocket regarding half an hour following launch, and the first signal is expected to be received regarding 70 minutes following the satellite separates from the rocket.
After Türksat 6A is successfully sent into space, all orbit and subsystem tests will be performed through ground stations, and the satellite will start its space journey towards its orbit at 42 degrees East longitude.
Upon completion of the journey and the satellite’s arrival in orbit, the orbital testing phase will begin, which will last for at least a month, so that Turksat will take over control of the satellite to be ready to perform its tasks.
The satellite will operate via 20 lower K-band transceivers.
The Turksat 6A, which is more than 80 percent domestic, was built by Turkish engineers at USET, a subsidiary of Tusas Aerospace Industries.
The satellite is planned to be located in an orbit of 42 degrees east, at a distance of 35,786 km, and will operate via 20 lower K-band transmitters and receivers, with a pulling power of 7.5 kilowatts, and a weight of 4,250 kg.
Turksat 6A will be able to provide service to areas not served by current Turkish satellites, such as India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
This will increase the population reached by satellites from 3.5 billion to 5 billion, and Turkish satellite service exports are expected to increase.
Anatolia
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2024-07-09 18:05:34
