Turksat 6A, Turkey's first domestically produced communication satellite, aimed at meeting the country's broadcasting needs, was launched by SpaceX toward geostationary orbit on Tuesday.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called the flight a new chapter in the country's space journey.
"The launch marked the opening of a new phase for Turkey in satellite production. As Turkey, we produced more than 81% of the subsystems, satellite ground stations, and software in the 6A project, which is of great importance for our country's future in space, with national resources," he said, according to a video posted on X.
The satellite was carried by SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States.
Turkey's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said, "We will have brought our communications, our television broadcasts to a safer, better level and Turksat 6A would now allow Turkey to also reach India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand."
This is not the first satellite launched by Turkey and the country has earlier as well used SpaceX rockets.
Uraloglu said Turksat 6A is a product of a 10-year-long effort by Turkey to domestically develop a satellite.
With the feat, the country becomes 11th nation to have launched a home-developed satellite in space.
Image Source: SpaceX
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