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Türkiye's first domestically produced communications satellite, Turksat 6A, has successfully reached its permanent orbit, according to an announcement by Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu. This milestone has expanded Turksat’s service coverage to over 5 billion people worldwide.
“Turksat 6A will extend Turksat’s service area, increasing its potential audience from 3.5 billion to over 5 billion people,” Uraloglu stated in a written statement released Saturday.
The minister highlighted that Turksat 6A recently moved to its designated position at 42 degrees east longitude. Following a final engine burn at around 5 a.m. (GMT+3), the satellite reached its geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 35,786 kilometers.
Calling Turksat 6A Türkiye’s largest research and development (R&D) project, Uraloglu added, “This is a source of national pride. By launching Turksat 6A into service, we will elevate Türkiye to the status of an international player in satellite and space technology.”
Technical specification
Details
Satellite name
Turksat 6A
Manufacturer
TUBITAK UZAY
Planned launch date
2025
Orbital location
42° East
Maneuver lifetime
16 years
Uplink band
Ku-Band & Ku-BSS Band, Ka-Band, Q/V Band
Downlink band
Ku-Band & Ku-BSS Band, Ka-Band, Q/V Band
Transponders coverages
Türkiye, West, East
Turksat 6A's technical specifications. (Source: Turksat Satellite)
The satellite, launched on July 9 from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral site, initially reached its temporary orbit at 50 degrees east longitude on July 20. Most of Turksat 6A was manufactured in Türkiye, and it successfully passed all functional and payload tests during this phase, Uraloglu noted.
Turksat currently operates five communications satellites—Turksat 3A, 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B—in geostationary orbits at 31, 42, and 50 degrees east longitude, providing services to 3.5 billion people worldwide.
With Turksat 6A set to become operational in early 2025, Uraloglu revealed plans to expand coverage to new regions, including Southeast Asia. The satellite’s reach will encompass countries such as India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
“Türkiye will soon be capable of reaching more than 65% of the global population with its own communications satellites,” he added.
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