Türksat 5B Satellite Commissioning Ceremony was held at Türksat's Gölbaşı campus with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Speaking at the ceremony, President Erdoğan said, "We are launching İMECE, our domestic and national surveillance satellite developed by Turkish engineers, in January 2023, and Türksat 6A in mid-2023."
The ceremony was attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as well as Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu, Deputy Ministers of Transport and Infrastructure Ömer Fatih Sayan, Selim Dursun, Enver İskurt, Head of Digital Transformation Office Ali Taha Koç, Deputy Minister of Health Şuayip Birinci, Chief Ombudsman of Turkey Şeref Malkoç, Ankara Governor Vasip Şahin, MHP Ankara MP Mevlüt Karakaya, AK Party Ankara MP Zeynep Yıldız, Türksat Chairman of the Board Prof. Dr. Kemal Yüksek and Türksat General Manager Hasan Hüseyin Ertok.
Wishing that the Türksat 5B satellite will be beneficial to Turkey, the nation and the industry, Erdoğan said that the process leading up to this satellite, which is a new stage in Turkey's space development, is the story of how Turkey's work and service policy was carried out by overcoming obstacles. Reminding that they also sent new satellites to the "space homeland", Türksat 4A took its place in orbit in 2014 and Türksat 4B took its place in orbit in 2015, and said that they added new satellites among these satellites. Stating that Turkey, which launched Türksat 5A and Türksat 5B last year, is among the few countries that can send two satellites into space in the same year, Erdoğan said:
"The space journey of Türksat 5B, which we will put into service today, started on December 19, 2021. We are launching our domestic and national surveillance satellite İMECE, developed by Turkish engineers, in January 2023, and Türksat 6A in mid-2023. The number of our satellites will increase to 10. With the National Space Program we have started, it is our duty to defend our country's interests in space, just as we do in land, sea and air. From developing our own satellites to sending vehicles to the Moon's surface, from training scientists to international space programs, to the space industry, we are taking steps to bring our country to the level it deserves in every field."
Erdoğan stated that Türksat 5B Satellite will make television broadcasting and broadband satellite communication capacity uninterrupted and secure in a wide area from Africa to the Middle East, from Europe to Asia.
"We will enable Turkey to develop its fiber internet infrastructure"
Noting that this satellite will provide great support to disaster and emergency teams, especially by ensuring uninterrupted communication in rural and mountainous areas, Erdoğan said, "You know, during the pandemic period, our children had difficulties in participating in distanced education programs due to insufficient internet infrastructure. This problem will also disappear. Our Türksat 5B satellite, which will serve for approximately 30 years, will ensure the protection of our country's frequency and region rights. As Turkey's political sphere of influence expands, the need for secure communication of its military missions also increases. Our satellite is critical in meeting this need. Of course, another issue that we must solve in parallel with these studies is the rapid expansion of fiber internet infrastructure. We are aware that we are going slowly in this regard. With the solution of the problem in Türk Telekom, we will also support other companies working in this field We will enable Turkey to develop its fiber internet infrastructure very quickly. If necessary, we will support the establishment of a common structure that will bring fiber infrastructure to rural areas and places with low population density."
Erdoğan pointed out that at a time when speed, and therefore time, has become the most valuable element, they cannot cross the sea and drown themselves in a stream.
Emphasizing that the productivity, efficiency increase and innovation that the fiber infrastructure will provide will bring the resources to be allocated to this field back to the national economy in a short time, Erdoğan said, "I wish the Türksat 5B satellite we put into service will once again be beneficial for our country and our nation. I hope we will put 6A into service at this time next year. I would like to congratulate everyone who contributed to the acquisition of our satellite in our country."
Later, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu presented a model of Türksat 5B satellite to President Erdoğan. Meanwhile, Erdogan said, "I hope we will exhibit our satellite at the Presidential Complex. Good luck."