President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated, “With Türksat 6A, which we developed using over 80% domestic content and 84 local components, Türkiye has now become one of only 11 countries capable of producing its own communications satellite. Our new satellite is the result of a meticulous, intense, and challenging effort spanning 20 years, in line with our goal of producing domestic and national technologies.”
The commissioning ceremony for Türksat 6A, Türkiye’s first fully domestic and national communications satellite, was held at Türksat’s Gölbaşı Campus with the attendance of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The event was also attended by Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, President of Defense Industries Haluk Görgün, Türksat Board Chairman Prof. Dr. Kemal Yüksek, Türksat CEO Ahmet Hamdi Atalay, senior Türksat executives, and many distinguished guests.
President Erdoğan stated, during his speech at the ceremony, Türksat 6A was launched into space on July 9, 2024, and its first test broadcast was conducted on February 17, 2025. He emphasized that all phases of the project were completed without any issues and expressed his hope that Türksat 6A would bring prosperity to the country and the nation. President Erdoğan extended his gratitude to all those who contributed to the successful advancement of the project, from design to production, from transportation to space launch, and from orbital positioning to testing. He also congratulated everyone who supported the project and dedicated themselves to Türkiye’s space industry.
He noted that with Türksat 6A, which is expected to serve for at least 15 years, the number of communications satellites operated by Türksat increased to six, and the total number of Turkish satellites in space rose to ten. He highlighted that the new geostationary communications satellite will significantly expand emergency communications services and television broadcasting coverage. President Erdoğan underlined that Türksat 6A is of critical importance for uninterrupted television broadcasting and that for the first time, backup broadcasting capabilities will be possible. He emphasized that the satellite is a giant step for Türkiye in the field of space communication and broadcasting, and concluded, “Producing such technologies, especially communications satellites, without relying on external sources is of paramount importance for our national security. With Türksat 6A, which we developed using more than 80% domestic content and 84 local components, Türkiye has now become one of only 11 countries in the world that can manufacture its own communications satellite. This new satellite is the result of a meticulous, intense, and challenging effort spread over 20 years in line with our goal of producing domestic and national technologies.”
The Highest Rate of Local Content Achieved
President Erdoğan noted that reaching this stage was not easy and recalled that through the technology transfer program implemented in earlier satellite projects, Türksat engineers participated in the production of Türksat 3A, 4A, and 4B. He added that with Türksat 5A and 5B, 12 engineers were directly involved in design, manufacturing, and testing processes. Through these long-term efforts and accumulated experience, many critical thresholds in space technologies have been surpassed. Erdoğan emphasized, “We now possess the capability, competence, and experience to produce a satellite like Türksat 6A, which has the highest domestic content ever achieved. Despite those who doubted us and said ‘we can’t,’ we said, ‘We can, and we can do it even better.’ Through tireless effort, unwavering belief, patience, and determination, we’ve arrived at this day with pride and dignity.”
“The Population Reached by Türksat Will Increase to 5 Billion”
President Erdoğan noted that with the commissioning of Türksat 6A, Türksat’s service area would expand to include India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, “The number of people reached by our satellites around the world will rise from 3.5 billion to 5 billion.” Erdoğan emphasized that thanks to technology transfer and accumulated experience, Türkiye now holds a significant market share in the design and production of satellites and components. He said that this revolutionary project has allowed Türkiye to build a fully domestic and national communications satellite platform. Erdoğan added that beyond the main stakeholders, a broader satellite production ecosystem was created through contributions from subcontractors, enabling many institutions and organizations to contribute to the national space industry:
“Together with dozens of engineers and personnel who played active roles in every phase, we have also developed qualified human resources for satellite and space technologies. With the equipment developed by our project partners, we’ve reached a level where we can compete internationally. We’ve strengthened our export capacity. Alongside our collaboration with SpaceX, the entire launch process was managed by Türksat. With a coverage area that includes over 60% of the world’s population—about 5 billion people—we are now among the world’s most distinguished countries in space activities and satellite broadcasting. Today, we proudly commission Türksat 6A. From Türksat 1B, launched 31 years ago, to now, we have taken our space journey to a much higher level. Together, we are witnessing a historic success story written with knowledge, experience, and hard work.”
Milestones of the “Century of Türkiye”
President Erdoğan stated that there is no limit to how proud one can be of the institutions, engineers, and workers who contributed to the project, and he emphasized, “All these achievements are heralds of the Century of Türkiye we are building.” Erdoğan, expressed his belief that Türkiye will reach much greater heights and promised, “We will hand over to our youth a strong, prosperous, and respected Türkiye. May God help us on this path we walk with the support of our nation. May He lead us to many more successes.” Erodoğan also commemorated Ahmet Özsoy and Ali Karslı, who were martyred by FETÖ terrorists at Türksat during the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, praying for their souls, “I once again wish that Türksat 6A, our first fully domestic and national communications satellite, will be beneficial and auspicious for our country and our nation. I congratulate all my colleagues whose effort, dedication, and ideas contributed to this project.”
Minister Uraloğlu: “Produced with 84 Local Components”
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, in speech at the ceremony, highlighted that Türkiye’s satellite journey, which began in 1994, has continued with increasing strength through Türksat 1B, 1C, 2A, 3A, 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B satellites. He stated, “By commissioning Türksat 6A, produced with over 80% local content and 84 domestically manufactured components, we have placed Türkiye among the 11 countries in the world capable of designing and manufacturing communications satellites.” Minister Uraloğlu emphasized that Türksat 6A is not merely a satellite, “A seal engraved in space by the vision of our President, and by the labor and engineering of our nation.”
Uraloğlu, recalled that the foundations of this historic success were laid in 2014, with an agreement signed between the Ministry’s Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Research Center, TÜBİTAK and Türksat. Uraloğlu continued, “Additionally, the Presidency of Defense Industries supported the project as a stakeholder through the payload developed by ASELSAN. The Space Systems Integration and Test Center (USET), established in Kahramankazan in 2015, became the main hub for the satellite’s design, integration, and testing processes. Working together with our national institutions; TÜBİTAK UZAY, ASELSAN, TUSAŞ, and CTECH, we locally developed and manufactured critical components such as the satellite management unit, reaction wheels, sun sensors, antennas, and power control units. This transformed the project into a masterpiece.”
Türksat 6A to Ensure Communication Continuity
Minister Uraloğlu noted that Türksat 6A has opened the door to a new era in communication for Türkiye, “With Türksat 6A, Türkiye has taken a bold step into a new age of communication, reshaping its place within the global communications network.” Uraloğlu, reminded that the five active satellites currently in service reach a population of 3.5 billion people, and added:
“With Türksat 6A, we have now expanded our coverage to include important parts of India, as well as Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia raising the population we serve to over 5 billion. This means Türkiye now has access to more than 65 percent of the world’s population. Türksat 6A will serve our nation for at least 15 years in television broadcasting, emergency communications, and uninterrupted data services. It will also ensure communication continuity during disasters and crises, making it one of the cornerstones of our national security. Moreover, it will provide critical support to our defense industry.”
“We Have Also Started Preparations for the Seventh-Generation Series”
Minister Uraloğlu emphasized that Türksat 6A goes beyond being just a communication satellite, “It will carry the pride of our nation across the skies forever and further strengthen Türkiye’s footprint in space.” Uraloğlu, also announced that, “We have already begun the preparatory work for the seventh-generation series of communication satellites. With this new generation, we will both utilize our domestic and national resources and benefit to the fullest from international cooperation. I wholeheartedly believe that, under the leadership of our President, we will continue to achieve many more milestones in the Century of Türkiye.”
Minister Kacır: “We Are Steadily Advancing Toward a Fully Independent Türkiye”
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır highlighted that in the past 22 years, Türkiye increased its annual R&D spending from $1.2 billion to $16.1 billion and expanded its number of R&D personnel from 29,000 to 291,000. He added, “Today, more than 11,500 technology initiatives operate in 106 technoparks, and over 1,600 R&D and design centers are actively working on innovative projects.” Minister Kacır stated, “In line with our National Technology Initiative, we are steadily advancing toward our goal of ‘a fully independent Türkiye in critical technologies.” Kacır, emphasized that space has become an area where more and more countries are gaining influence, and where innovations in sectors such as agriculture, health, communication, and information technologies are spreading rapidly. He continued:
“Over the past 22 years, we have made significant breakthroughs in space science and technologies. We have become a country capable of developing, testing, and manufacturing its own satellites. Göktürk-2, our observation satellite, which we developed through our localization and nationalization efforts in satellite technology, has served as our eye in space for the past 12 years. The multi-faceted capabilities we developed with Göktürk-2 were crowned with our high-resolution national observation satellite İMECE. With İMECE, most of whose components were developed domestically, we can now capture images from any point in the world without any restrictions.”
“We Will Maintain Our Presence in Space”
Minister Kacır underlined that Türksat 6A is the highest-value technological product ever produced in Türkiye. He confirmed that the satellite successfully completed its orbital acceptance tests and is now fully operational for Türksat. Kacır, also shared that the government is moving forward with new initiatives following this historic project. Kacır said, “We are supporting investments in space technologies through our HIT-30 program—the largest incentive package in our history. Our call for proposals under the Pre-Competitive Collaboration Program to enhance our capabilities in producing low-earth orbit satellites received great interest. We will reinforce our presence in space with new-generation satellite constellations such as İMECE-2 and İMECE-3, which will offer high-resolution imaging, as well as with Türksat 7A, which will build on the expertise gained from the Türksat 6A project.”
Following the speeches, Türksat 6A was officially commissioned by President Erdoğan. Minister Uraloğlu then presented a model of Türksat 6A to the President Erdoğan. The ceremony concluded with a group photo.