 | |
| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | Türksat A.Ş. |
| COSPAR ID | 2024-127A |
| SATCATno. | 60233 |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | TÜBİTAK Uzay,TAI,ASELSAN,CTech Bilişim Teknolojileri A.Ş. |
| Power | 12kW |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 8 July 2024[1][2] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| Launch site | Cape CanaveralSLC-40 |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | 42° East |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 16Ku-band (plus 4 in reserve) 2X-band (plus 1 in reserve) |
| Bandwidth | 7.30-18.10GHz uplink 11.70-12.75GHz downlink |
| Coverage area | Turkey,Middle East, Europe and Africa |
Türksat 6A is Turkey's first fully domestically produced communications satellite, successfully launched on July 8, 2024.[3]
According to an agreement signed on 15 December 2014, the satellite will be developed and manufactured indigenously by specialists under the leadership ofTÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute (TÜBİTAK Uzay) in cooperation withTurkish Aerospace Industries (TAI),ASELSAN andCTech Bilişim Teknolojileri A.Ş. TAI will be in charge of design and production of thesatellite structure and the subsystems such asspacecraft thermal control, chemical propulsion, harness and mechanical ground equipment needed to support the mission. TAI and TÜBİTAK Uzay will cooperate for the development of thesoftware forsatellite on-board data handling as well as for satellite command and control. They will perform the assembly, integration and test activities together at the TAI'sSatellite Assembly Integration and Test Facility (Turkish:Uydu Montaj Entegrasyon ve Test) (UMET) inAkıncı, Ankara.[4][5][6] Türksat 6A will also haveX-band satellite communication capability for use by theTurkish Armed Forces.[4]
The satellite was launched on a SpaceXFalcon 9 launch vehicle.[1][3] It is positioned ingeosynchronous orbit positioned at42° East with an expected on-orbit life time of at least 15 years. It consist of 16Ku-band transponders, additionally 4 in reserve as well as two active and one in reserveX-band transponders. The Ku-band transponders will have a bandwidth of 7.3-18.1GHz for uplink and 11.7-12.75 GHz downlink bandwidth. Each of the Ku-band transponders will have a minimum power of 140watts and the X-band transponders a minimum power of 150 watts each.[7]
While the X-band transponders will cover the territory of Turkey only, the Ku-band transponders of Türksat 6A will have three coverage zones:[7]
The project is estimated to have cost around US$250 million and involved more than 100 ASELSAN personnel, utilizing over 80 space electronic units.[4][3]
