SpaceX launches Turksat 5B Satellite
Turksat 5B is a new telecommunication satellite of Turkey, was launched on 19 December by Elon Musk‘s aerospace company SpaceX.
The Turksat 5B was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the United States. State of Florida to geostationary transfer orbit, where it will use onboard electric thrusters to provide high throughput band services over Middle East, Turkey and some parts of Africa.
The Turksat 5B will reach its orbital slot of 42 degrees East longitude in 5.3 months, then a 45-day test process will begin.
It was ordered from European manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space about four years back in 2017 and transferred from France to the United States on 29 November, Turksat 5b satellite will increase the Turkey’s Ka-band capacity by over fifteenfold.
Turksat 5B is equipped with a new-generation electric-powered impulsion system, therefore, it’s expected to last up to 35 years.
On 17 September 2021, the Turkish government had announce that musk’s aerospace company SpaceX will launch Turksat 6A, was the first domestically built communications satellite of Turkey, in the first quarter of 2023.
On 16 December, 2021, President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Heald a video call with SpaceX’s CEO, Elon Musk, and discussed the Turksat launch process. However, now turkey has eight active satellites including Turksat 5B.