ANKARA
Having been launched by technology company SpaceX in January, Turkey's fifth-generation communication satellite Turksat 5A is ready for service at 31 east meridians.
Turksat will offer TV broadcasting services to Europe, the Middle East, and the Africa region and data communication services to the whole coverage area thanks to Turksat 5A, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency.
With Turksat 5A, the number of Turkey's active communication satellites in space reached four alongside Turksat 3A, Turksat 4A, and Turksat 4B.
The first signal from Turksat 5A was received 35 minutes after it was successfully launched into orbit by a Falcon 9 rocket taking off from the US East Coast.
Manufactured by Airbus with fully electric propulsion, Turksat 5A traveled over four months in space to reach its orbital slot.
After completing in-orbit tests, Turksat 5A started its over 30 years of maneuver life while guaranteeing Turkey's frequency and orbit rights.
The satellite will provide 1728 Mhz of Ku Band capacity over Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Midwest Africa, South Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Black Sea region.
Planning to expand its satellite fleet, coverage areas, and capacity, Turksat will launch 5B satellites into space in the fourth quarter of this year.
The number of active Turkish satellites in Earth orbit has reached seven, including three observation satellites -- Gokturk-1, Gokturk-2, and Rasat.
