Türksat 5A

Türksat 5A, is a Turkish communications satellite, operated by Türksat A.Ş. for commercial and military purposes.[3][4]

Türksat 5A
Türksat 5A satellite
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorTürksat A.Ş.
COSPAR ID2021-001A
SATCAT no.47306
Mission duration15 years (planned) [1]
2 years, 9 months, 17 days, 19 hours and 15 minutes (elapsed)
Spacecraft properties
BusEurostar E3000EOR[2]
ManufacturerAirbus Defence and Space
Launch mass3,500 kg (7,700 lb)
Power12 kW
Start of mission
Launch date8 January 2021, 02:15:00 UTC
RocketFalcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5)
Launch siteCape Canaveral, SLC-40
ContractorSpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude31° East[2]
Transponders
Band42 Ku-band
Coverage areaWestern Eurasia and Africa
 

History

According to an agreement signed in September 2011, the satellite was developed by specialists in cooperation with Türksat and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). It was produced in Turkey by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) at its newly established Satellite Assembly Integration and Test Facility (Turkish: Uydu Montaj Entegrasyon ve Test) (UMET) in Ankara with 20% indigenously developed technology. Türksat 5A is the first geostationary communications satellite built in Turkey.[2][5][6]

It was reported in early 2013 that Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO) of Japan, which is constructing the satellite platforms of Türksat 4A and Türksat 4B, might join the project to provide a MELCO DS2000 satellite bus for the satellite.[2] But on 9 November 2017, Airbus Defence and Space was selected to construct the satellite platforms for Türksat 5A using Eurostar E3000EOR, an all-electric variant of Eurostar E3000.[7]

Launch

The spacecraft was launched on 8 January 2021 at 02:15:00 UTC from Cape Canaveral (CCSFS), SLC-40.[2] Türksat 5A will be placed in a geosynchronous orbit at 31° East to provide telecommunication and direct TV broadcasting services over a broad geographic region between west of China and east of England stretching over Turkey, as well as Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.[8]

It has a launch mass of 3,500 kg (7,700 lb) [2] carrying 42 Ku-band transponders. The expected on-orbit life time will be 15 years,[9] but the more efficient electric thrusters will allow Turksat 5A to maintain its position in orbit for more than 30 years, double the life span of many large communications satellites, according to Airbus.[10]

Controversy

On 29 October 2020, Armenian protesters gathered outside of the Hawthorne, California headquarters of the TurkSat 5A launch provider SpaceX to protest the satellites launch, demanding SpaceX not launch the satellite, claiming that it will be used against military and civilian targets in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment on the protests.[11][12]

TurkSat 5A would greatly extend the range of drone operations from the west of Europe to the east of Kazakhstan, with more resistance against jamming, rejection and wiretapping; high-definition live streams of targets and commanding of munitions drops.[13][14][15]

See also

References
  1. "SpaceX launches Turksat 5A communications satellite for Turkey, lands rocket". Space.com. 8 January 2021.
  2. Krebs, Gunter. "Türksat 5A". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  3. "What is the contribution of the Türksat 5A and 5B satellites to the Turkish defense industry?". defensehere.com. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  4. "TB2 Bayraktar will be able to fly in every region covered by Türksat (Google Translate)". Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  5. "Dr Balbay: "Türksat 5A ve Türksat 6A Türkiyede Üretilecek"" (in Turkish). Turksat. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  6. "TÜRKSAT-5A Milli Haberleşme Uydusu için tüm hazırlıklar tamamlandı". Sabah (in Turkish). 6 September 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  7. "Airbus to build Türksat 5A and 5B satellites". Airbus. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  8. "Turksat 5A Footprints". 10 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  9. "Satellite Name: Turksat 5A". SatBeams. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  10. "SpaceX delivers for Turkey in first launch of 2021". Spaceflight Now. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  11. "Hundreds gather at SpaceX headquarters to protest Turkish satellite launch". Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  12. October 2020, Chelsea Gohd 31 (31 October 2020). "Hundreds gather at SpaceX headquarters to protest Turkish satellite launch: report". Space.com. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  13. "What is the contribution of the Türksat 5A and 5B satellites to the Turkish defense industry?". defensehere.com. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  14. "CTech Displayed its National and Unique UAV SatCom Solution at SAHA EXPO 2018". Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  15. "Unmanned Aircraft System Control Filing for TURKSAT-31E-H with ITU". Retrieved 12 March 2019.
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