Turkish telecommunication satellite will be put in service next week on June 14, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu has announced, Trend reports citing Hurriyet Daily News.
“After a five-month journey, Turksat 5B reached orbit on May 17. Performance and orbit tests were conducted successfully. Now it is time to put the satellite in service,” Karaismailoglu said.
A ceremony to be attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be held to mark the occasion, the minister added.
The satellite, which is at its orbital slot of 42 degrees East longitude, will cover a wide area, including the entire Middle East, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, as well as northern, eastern and southern Africa and Turkey’s neighboring countries, Karaismailoglu said.
Turksat 5B was launched on Dec. 19 last year from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida by U.S. aerospace company SpaceX.
Ordered from European manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space in 2017 and transferred from France to the U.S. on Nov. 29.
The satellite, which is equipped with a new-generation electric-powered impulsion system, is expected to last more than 35 years.