Turkiye's 1st home-grown communications satellite is the fruit of a decade of work

Turkiye’s first indigenous communications satellite Turksat 6A is seen at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ahead of the launched into orbit on Monday at 5.00 p.m. EDT from SpaceX’s Kennedy facility in Florida, United States on July 08, 2024 [Tayfun Coşkun – Anadolu Agency]

The project for Turkiye’s first indigenous communications satellite, Turksat 6A, set to launch on Monday, has been in the making for some 10 years, Anadolu Agency reports.

Turksat 6A is scheduled for launch on Monday at 5.20 pm EDT (2120GMT), marking an important milestone in the project.

Turksat 1C, the successor of the first communications satellite, Turksat 1B, was launched in 1995, followed by Turksat 2A in 2001, Turksat 3A in 2008, Turksat 4B in 2014, Turksat 5A in 2021 and Turksat 5B in 2022.

Turkish engineers took part in Turksat’s construction of the 4A and 4B satellites, as well as in the design, production and testing phases of 5A and 5B.

Development of Turksat 6A

The indigenous Turksat 6A project was officially launched on 15 December, 2014; the beginning of the opening of the Space Systems Assembly Integration and Test Centre was established at Turkish Aerospace Industries facilities, in cooperation with Turksat and Turkiye’s Defence Industries Agency.

Turkish-based defence firms, Turkish Space Agency, Aselsan, C2TECH and Turkish Aerospace Industries together with Turksat and Tubitak Uzay completed the satellite’s construction.

The preliminary review phase of the craft started in 2015, and the first critical review phase started the following year.

The thermal structural qualification model was completed by 2017, and the second critical review phase began in 2018, while the engineering model satellite’s construction started in 2019 and was concluded in 2022.

The craft’s flight model’s initial functional and thermal vacuum tests were done the same year.

In 2023, Turksat 6A’s flight model vibration and acoustic tests, as well as its shock test and fit check, were done.

The craft’s tests were officially finalised in 2024, and its mass properties were measured in April, followed by its delivery to the SpaceX facility in Cape Canaveral in the US state of Florida on 4June.

With all the preparations completed, Turkiye’s first indigenous satellite is ready for launch on board a Falcon 9 rocket on Monday.

READ: Countdown begins for launch of Turkiye’s 1st home-grown communications satellite

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