Solar Panel Deployment Tests of Turkey's First Domestic and National Communication Satellite Türksat 6a have been Successfully Completed
The deployment tests of the solar panels with high power production capacity of Turkey's first domestic and national communication satellite, Türksat 6A, developed under the coordination of TÜBİTAK UZAY, have been successfully completed. After this stage; Launcher compatibility tests, final functional tests and payload performance tests will be carried out respectively, and then the satellite will be ready for transportation to the launch site.
Speaking at the Türksat 6A solar panel deployment test held at the Space Systems Integration and Test (USET) Center at TAI, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, “We will send Türksat 6A into space next year. Thus, Turkey will be one of the 10 countries that can develop, produce and use its own communication satellites in space with its domestic and national capabilities.” said.
Pointing out that Türksat 6A is one of the important projects of the National Space Program carried out under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan within the scope of the National Technology Move, Kacır said, “We will send it to space next year. Thus, Turkey will be one of the 10 countries that can develop, produce and use its own communication satellites in space with its domestic and national resources. Of course, Türksat operates in the field of communication satellites, and Türksat 6A will especially enable Türksat to provide services to a geography covering more than 1.5 billion people.” he said.
It contains much more advanced technologies
Stating that Türksat 6A contains much more advanced technologies compared to Turkey's previous experiences, Minister Kacır said, “Turkey has gained great experience in imaging satellites in 20 years. Our journey, which started with BILSAT joint production efforts, brought the opportunity to access satellites with sub-meter resolution in imaging satellites with RASAT, Göktürk and most recently İMECE. We sent İMECE into space in April, and we are already benefiting from İMECE very successfully. Now we are taking a step into communication satellites with Türksat 6A. "Our hope is that with this experience we will gain, Turkey will be able to get a much larger share of the space economy, which is approaching 600 billion dollars, in the coming period, and at the same time, we will be able to continue our development processes with our domestic and national capabilities in many applications that are of strategic importance for our national security." he said.
A tremendous collaboration project
Kacır noted that TÜBİTAK UZAY, TUSAŞ, ASELSAN, C-Tech and many stakeholders played an important role in the project and said, “Actually, it is a tremendous cooperation project. "The center we are located in is a center operating on the TAI campus built by our Presidency of Defense Industries, and thanks to this center, we have the opportunity to carry out all our satellite development processes and space systems with local and national facilities, our own infrastructure, human capital and human resources." he said.
We Go Over 30 Thousand Kilometers
Stating that the Lunar Research Project in the National Space Program will take Turkey to deep space, Kacır said, “We were under a thousand kilometers in İMECE, now we are going over 30 thousand kilometers with Türksat 6A, but when we reach the moon, we will have completed a 380 thousand kilometer journey in space. In all these projects, domestic and national development of subsystems, core components and technologies will always continue to be our primary goal.” said.
Aim; To be an advanced country in space technologies
Minister Kacır said, “Türksat 6A will be completed in 2024, and then our project within the scope of the Lunar Research Program will be completed at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026. On the other hand, we will continue to develop new projects in the National Space Program, especially on low orbit constellations. "We will continue our work rapidly in line with the goal set by our President to make Turkey a country that benefits from space technologies at the most advanced level and can develop all these technological capabilities with local and national means." he said.
SSB President Haluk Görgün: “All kinds of environments to which the satellites will be exposed are being created.”
President of the Presidency of Defense Industries Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün said, “The facility we are in; It is one of the facilities in 6 countries. Here, not only the integration of the satellites to be sent into space is carried out, but also all kinds of environments to which the satellites will be exposed are created and tests are carried out to ensure that they fulfill their functions. "Today, we did the deployment test of the solar panels, and thermal tests and vacuum tests are also carried out in this facility." he said.
TÜBİTAK President Hasan Mandal: “We will be one of the rare countries with a communication satellite.”
President of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal also stated that we will be one of the rare countries with a communication satellite with Türksat 6A, which will be launched in 2024. "If we are talking about smart machines, systems, and the fifth industrial revolution, communication and communications satellites are very valuable," said Mandal, reminding that the first domestic and national observation satellite, İMECE, was sent into space on April 15.
Stating that they can receive high resolution images from anywhere in the world without asking anyone or getting permission, Mandal continued as follows: "We designed, developed and produced the components ourselves. We even export some of the components abroad. We will launch the first domestic communication satellite, Türksat 6A, in 2024." We will be one of the rare countries with a communication satellite. If we are talking about smart machines, systems and the fifth industrial revolution, communication and communications satellites are very valuable. The national technology move means complete independence. To achieve full independence, you will also be independent in space. 'Turkey Century, fully independent Turkey' If we are talking about the good, we need to be independent in every field. 'Why is there a need for UAVs and air defense systems?' They said. Here is what is happening in the world. We have missiles and UAVs, but their control and positioning are in space. Now we are asking, 'Why is there a need for space? Is everything over and now it's time for space?' "They say. The place where all our defense systems are controlled is in space. If you do not have control over space, if you do not have satellites, you need to receive communication from the satellite on someone else for all the technologies you have developed. If that country does not allow you to use its satellite or take photos and videos of it, you mean 'nothing'."
Applause to those who contributed
Minister Kacır and his entourage received information from the engineers working on the Türksat 6A satellite. Minister Kacır said, “The heroes of this project are; "Scientists, engineers and technicians who work day and night and put in mental effort within the scope of this project." He applauded those who contributed to the Türksat 6A satellite works.
The program was attended by President of the Presidency of Defense Industries, Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Zekeriya Çoştu, Deputy Minister of National Defense Şuay Alpay, TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, Turkish Space Agency President Yusuf Kıraç, TAI Chairman of the Board of Directors Prof. Dr. Rafet Bozdoğan, TAI Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors Ömer Cihad Vardan and TAI General Manager Prof. Dr. Temel Kotil also participated.
Coordination of Türksat 6A is in TÜBİTAK UZAY
Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Türksat A.Ş. and TÜBİTAK UZAY in the Türksat 6A project financed by TÜBİTAK; It is developing the national communication satellite together with its project partners TAI, ASELSAN and CTech companies. In the project, firstly system level test models were produced, finally the integration work of the flight model that will operate in orbit was completed and final tests are carried out before transportation to the launch site.
The assembly, integration and testing activities of the TÜRKSAT 6A satellite are carried out at the Space Systems Integration and Test (USET) Center at TAI. The satellite, which will be placed in 42° east GEO-geosynchronous orbit, will be operated by Türksat. The mass of the satellite will be more than 4 tons.
The Türksat 6A satellite, which will carry 16 Ku-Band transponders, will bring significant capacity increase and critical advantages to our country in the field of secure data communication with its technological competence.
Türkiye'nin İlk Yerli ve Milli Haberleşme Uydusu TÜRKSAT 6a'nın Güneş Panelleri Açılım Testleri Başarıyla Tamamlandı
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We will launch our first satellite with Fergani in 2025.
