Turksat 6A Will Be Launched By SpaceX

Turksat 6A will be launched by SpaceX. Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu gave information about the national satellite studies.

Karaismailoğlu reminded that the Türksat-6A National Communications Satellite Project Contract and its additional Protocol were officially signed between the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, TÜBİTAK and Türksat A.Ş. with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Noting that the assembly, integration and tests of the TÜRKSAT-6A satellite were carried out at the Space Systems Integration and Test (USET) Center, Karaismailoğlu said, “The engineering model integration activities of the project were completed and the test phase was started. In 2021, it is expected that the satellite flight model integration activities will be completed and the environmental test phase will be started. Turksat-6A satellite will also be subjected to standard and commercial testing stages accepted in the satellite industry.” Stating that the project will enable Turkey to be among the 10 countries that can produce communication satellites, Karaismailoğlu underlined that the production and testing process of the satellite to be produced is planned to be completed at the end of 2022 and to be launched in the first quarter of 2023. Expressing that the launch services of the Türksat-6A satellite are under the responsibility of Türksat A.Ş., Karaismailoğlu continued his statement with the following words: "In this context, the necessary studies and preparations are carried out in coordination with the Project Manager Institution, TÜBİTAK Space and other stakeholders. The solutions and proposals of many launcher companies were meticulously examined for the provision of launch service. As a result of the evaluations and negotiations, the best solution in terms of both technical, administrative and financial aspects. The Falcon-9 rocket of SpaceX, located in the USA, offering a launch service, was chosen as the launcher.In this context, Türksat and Space Exploration Tech. "This is the first contract signed directly with the launching company instead of the satellite manufacturer for the launch service. The activities and transactions under the said launcher service procurement contract will be carried out by the expert staff of Türksat A.Ş."