Turksat 6A will have its fourth ignition process in its orbital journey this Tuesday
Turksat 6A, Türkiye’s first homegrown communications satellite, has successfully completed the third ignition process of its journey towards a stable orbit. This milestone was announced by the country’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, on Sunday.
“Today, we successfully completed the 3rd ignition process, which lasted 7 minutes. TURKSAT 6A continues its historic journey and progresses towards its orbit,” Uraloglu said on social media platform X.
Upcoming Ignition Process
The satellite is set for its fourth ignition process on Tuesday, as noted by Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir. The launch of Turksat 6A, which took place last week, represents the culmination of a decade of development, increasing Türkiye’s active satellite count to nine.
Historic Achievement
Launched into space via SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, Turksat 6A’s success marks a significant achievement for Turkish engineers, positioning Türkiye among the few nations capable of producing communication satellites. This expertise sets the stage for Türkiye to become a future exporter of satellites.
Legacy of Turkish Satellites
The launch of Turksat 6A follows a legacy of communication satellites starting with Turksat 1C in 1996, and including Turksat 2A (2001), Turksat 3A (2008), Turksat 4A (2014), Turksat 4B (2015), and most recently, Turksat 5A and 5B in 2021. Each satellite has contributed to the growth and capability of Türkiye’s space communication infrastructure.
