Turksat 5A enters orbit

Test-run to continue for a month, satellite operational after June

TURKEY’S new communications satellite Turksat 5A entered into orbit at 31° East, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu said on

Tuesday. The fifth-generation satellite, which has a 30 year lifetime, was launched by technology company SpaceX in January and has now entered its orbit.

“Turksat 5A will be tested [in orbit] for a month and become operational after June,” Mr Karaismailoğlu told Anadolu Agency.

Once the satellite is in service, it will cover Turkey and Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, MidWest and South Africa as well as the Mediterranean, Aegean, and the Black Sea, he noted.

He said the satellite uses the advanced Ku-Band for television broadcasting and data communication services.

“Thanks to the electric propulsion system, the satellite can serve in the fields of TV broadcasting and communication for more than 30 years,” he said.

He went on to say that Turkey’s communication satellite traffic will increase in the future.

“We aim to launch the Turksat 5B communication satellite, which is nearing the end of its production process, in the fourth quarter of this year.”

As of January 8, 2021, the number of active Turkish satellites in Earth orbit has reached seven.