Upgraded satellite will reach its orbit within 164 days, which was lifted off with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Turkiye successfully launches its new telecommunication satellite Turksat 5B, US private spaceflight company SpaceX has announced on early Sunday.
Ankara aims to use the satellite – which will operate for 35 years – not only for communication means but also commercial sectors such as maritime and aviation.
The satellite, produced by Airbus, was transferred from France to the US, Turkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu said during a news conference in the capital Ankara.
The new satellite will be the most powerful satellite of the country that will increase the broadband data capacity and it can serve not only Turkiye but also in Africa, Asia and Europe.
The Turksat 5B communications satellite lifted off from Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida with a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX noted.
A drone ship was stationed east of Florida for hosting the booster’s landing.
The satellite that was produced with a contribution from Turkiye’s domestic industry, will reach its orbit within 164 days, Karaismailoglu stated.
The Turkish government is set to launch an upgraded and domestically produced satellite Turksat 6A in 2023.
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Cooperation with Elon Musk
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a video conference with Elon Musk, the founder of electric carmaker Tesla and space exploration company SpaceX, thanked for helping with the launch of Turksat 5A, a prior Turkish communications satellite.
In Thursday’s meeting, Erdogan and Musk discussed a number of issues ranging from the digital economy, Turkey’s National Space Program and the country’s first domestic electric car TOGG, Turkish presidency statement said.
“We’ll gift you with an NFT (non-fungible token) of satellite art created by 5,000 of our children,” Erdogan said.
Musk expressed gratitude for the gift, saying that he looks forward to “launching the satellite and doing many things with Turkiye in the future.”
READ MORE: Turkey unveils National Space Program including 2023 moon mission
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
Turkiye launches new comsat Turksat 5B
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