Satellite Türksat 6A will leave the world's giants behind

Turkey is growing with confident leaps and bounds in space with its work on Türksat 6A, a satellite that is a breed apart from others with its latest technology. Turkey's project of building the first domestic communications satellite produced and designed by Turkish engineers is rapidly progressing. By completing the satellite planned to be launched in 2019, Turkey will be counted among ten countries that produce communications satellites.

Support and incentives for research programs concentrating on improving domestic products for sectors which depend on foreign technology continue. The Turkish government, which recognized a shortcoming in this field and approved many studies, is contributing to increase our country's capacity by supporting research and development and production. As Yenisafak.co, we continue to put our weekly local projects under the magnifying glass. This week we are taking a look at Turkey's first communications satellite Türksat 6A Project, a gateway intended to further our capabilities in the satellite technology.

"Türksat 6A Domestic Satellite Communication Project" signing ceremony occurred with the participation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on December 15, 2014 at the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) Gebze Campus.

With the leadership of TUBITAK Space Technologies Research Institute, with the support of TAI and ASELSAN, and local industry organizations, "Türksat 6A Domestic Communications Satellite Project", will be produced nationally, after Türksat 1B, Türksat 1C, 2A, then the 3A and 4A satellite started being operational in 1994.

Weighing 4.2 tons when produced, for providing communications and TV broadcasting, Türksat 6A will have 4 spares and a total of 20 Ku-band transponders. Türksat 6A, as well as including coverage of Turkey and Europe, will be the first local satellite with the capacity to cover the Far East areas of India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

With flight software and design being completely developed by Turkish engineers, the Türksat 6A communications satellite is Turkey's largest research and development project, being financed with a budget of US $546 million.

Turkey's first local satellite produced by Space Systems Integration and Test Center (USET) is projected to be completed and launched into space in 2019.

A breed apart from other satellites, by being different and more equipped with leading technology, Türksat 6A will undertake both commercial and military tasks. Subsystems, ground stations and software to be used in with the satellite will be fully realized with domestic resources. The subsystems that will be developed under this Project will become the infrastructure for future national communications satellites that will be produced.

When the Türksat 6A communications satellite is launched into space, Turkey will then be among the ten countries producing their own domestic satellites. The life span of the satellite will be a minimum of 15 years and will run at 42 degrees east longitude.