On Monday (8 July), SpaceX launched Turksat 6A, Turkey’s first domestically built communications satellite, into orbit.
Turksat 6A was launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, US.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the Turkish satellite into orbit.
The launch signalled the beginning of a “new phase” for Turkey’s satellite production, said Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish experts contributed to “more than 81% of the subsystems, satellite ground stations and software in the 6A project”, said Erdogan.
The satellite will expand Turkey’s satellite coverage to five billion people, said Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu.
The satellite will rise Turkish “communications” and “television broadcasts” to a “safer, better level”, said Uraloglu.
Turksat 6A will allow the Turkish media and communications to reach countries such as India and Thailand, said Uraloglu.
After a ten-year effort, Turkey is one of only 11 countries to successfully create a domestically produced satellite.
SpaceX remains the predominant player in the space economy, as private companies have increasingly moved into the market alongside the government sector.
SpaceX was the first private company to successfully launch a spacecraft into orbit and ensure its safe return to Earth.
The space economy industry was worth $450bn in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of between 6% and 10% from 2022 to 2030, according to GlobalData’s thematic intelligence report on the space economy.
