Turkey's First Domestic and National Communication Satellite Enters Service
TÜRKSAT 6A, Turkey's first domestic and national communication satellite, was officially commissioned at a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The ceremony, held on 21 April 2025 at Türksat Gölbaşı Campus, was attended by the Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, President of TÜBİTAK Prof. Dr. Orhan Aydın, executives and engineers from TÜBİTAK, TAI, ASELSAN and CTech, and many other guests.
President Erdoğan: ‘Symbol of Our Independence in Space’
Delivering a speech at the ceremony, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasised that TÜRKSAT 6A is a historic step symbolising Turkey's independence in space. Stating that this satellite, which was developed with domestic and national facilities, shows the point our country has reached in the field of technology, Erdoğan said: "We are together today on the occasion of the commissioning ceremony of our first domestic and national communication satellite TÜRKSAT 6A. We launched TÜRKSAT 6A into space on 9 July 2024 and made the first test broadcast on 17 February. All processes were completed without any problems. I wish TÜRKSAT 6A to be beneficial for our country and nation. I would like to thank my brothers and sisters who contributed to the successful progress of the project."
Erdoğan stated that this success achieved with domestic and national technology is one of the most concrete examples of our country's progress in the field of space technologies.
Minister Kacır ‘With the experience we gained with TÜRKSAT 6A, we have made significant progress in the lunar mission’
In his speech, Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology, emphasised that TÜRKSAT 6A is not only a communication satellite, but also a strong indicator of the level Turkey has reached in high technology production. Noting that the know-how and engineering experience gained during the development process of the satellite also contributed significantly to the Lunar Research Mission within the scope of Turkey's National Space Programme, Kacır also stated that the sub-metre resolution İMECE satellite developed by TÜBİTAK UZAY has successfully completed its second year in orbit and that the process of the team satellite project is also progressing successfully.
Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, stated that TÜRKSAT 6A, Turkey's first domestic and national satellite, will further strengthen the country's footprint in space and added: ‘We have also started the preparatory work for the seventh series of our communication satellites. With our seventh generation satellites, we will both use our domestic and national resources and make maximum use of international cooperation.’
Developed with National Cooperation
TÜRKSAT 6A was developed under the project management of TÜBİTAK UZAY in cooperation with TAI, ASELSAN and CTech. Thanks to this communication satellite, which was produced with a high localisation rate, Turkey has strengthened its position in the global arena by becoming one of the 11 countries that can develop satellites with domestic facilities in this field.
Indigenous Software in Mission Control
Since the launch of the satellite, its placement in orbit, completion of the tests and commissioning processes were successfully carried out through the TStar-GO platform, a 100% indigenous mission control software developed by TÜBİTAK UZAY.
All operational phases such as management of satellite systems, orbital manoeuvres and mission planning are carried out through this platform.
Strategic Acquisition Reducing External Dependency
Developed with indigenous engineering capability and high technology, TÜRKSAT 6A reduces Turkey's foreign dependence in the field of satellite communications and provides a major gain in terms of nationalisation of technologies in this field. The project also further strengthens Turkey's human resources and engineering infrastructure in the space ecosystem.
