Türkiye's first domestically produced communication satellite, Türksat 6A, was put into service on Monday with a ceremony addressed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who reflected on the satellite's development journey, highlighting the importance of producing such technologies without being dependent on foreign sources.
All tests of Türksat 6A, which was sent into space with a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX's launch center in Cape Canaveral in the U.S. last July, have been successfully completed, he said.
"Thank God, all processes were completed smoothly and without any problems. We are now experiencing the joy of putting our satellite into service. I hope that Türksat 6A will be beneficial for our country and nation," Erdoğan said during a commissioning ceremony held in Türksat's Gölbaşı Campus in the capital Ankara.
He also thanked everyone who contributed to the process, starting from design and production to the test phase.
Explaining that the number of communication satellites operated by Türksat increased to six and the total number of Türkiye's satellites in space increased to 10 with the Türksat 6A satellite, which will provide service for at least 15 years, Erdoğan said that the new geostationary communication satellite will provide emergency communication services, especially television broadcasting, in a wide coverage area.
"With Türksat 6A, which we developed with a domestic production rate of over 80%, Türkiye has become one of only 11 countries capable of producing its own communications satellite," he said.
"Our new communication satellite is the product of meticulous, intensive and arduous work spanning 20 years in line with our goal of producing domestic and national technology," he added.
The president also said that with the launch of Türksat 6A, population coverage worldwide by Turkish satellites will increase from 3.5 billion to 5 billion.
"With these achievements and activities, we have an important opportunity to create our national satellite brand and establish a national space company," he added.
Moreover, he underlined that "with this revolutionary project, we have obtained a local and national communication satellite platform."
"By establishing a satellite production ecosystem with subcontractors as well as main stakeholders, we have enabled many institutions and organizations to contribute to the space industry. We have trained human resources for satellite and space technologies with dozens of engineers and personnel who have taken active roles in all stages. We have reached the level of being able to compete on an international scale with the equipment developed by the project stakeholders," he explained.
"We have further strengthened our export capacity. In addition to conducting joint studies with SpaceX, the launch process was also managed by Türksat," the president noted.
"When we look at developments worldwide, we see that a historic window of opportunity is opening up for Türkiye. We are very close to attaining the place we rightfully deserve in the global system," he also said.
"With Türksat 6A, Türkiye has joined the 11 countries that can develop a communication satellite. We achieved this success through our own human resources and capabilities. We will continue to bring new pride to the Turkish nation by achieving our goals of the National Space Program one by one," Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said in a post on X.
Türksat 6A, launched into space on July 9, 2024, reached its designated orbit by the end of December and completed its first broadcast test in February.
Top domestic companies, including Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), defense and technology giant Aselsan, along with the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK), among others, were involved in the design and production of the country's first indigenous satellite.
