Turkey launches its first home-grown communications satellite into space , reports "Reuters". Turksat 6A was launched into orbit today, a move Ankara said would expand the country's satellite coverage and meet its television broadcasting needs, News.bg quoted.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched the satellite into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. in Florida, USA.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the launch marked the opening of a "new stage" for Turkey in the production of satellites.
"We produced more than 81% of the subsystems, satellite ground stations and software in the 6A project, which is of great importance to our country's future in space, with national resources," he pointed out.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu indicated that the first signal from Turksat 6A was received 67 minutes after its launch, as planned. The satellite's activation will expand Turkey's coverage to 5 billion people.
"We will take our communications and TV broadcasts to a safer and better level," he said, adding that Turksat 6A will also allow Turkey to reach India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Turkey has previously launched satellites using SpaceX rockets. Uraloglu pointed out that Turksat 6A is the result of a 10-year effort to produce its own satellite, and added that it means Turkey has become one of 11 countries to achieve it.