SpaceX launches Turksat 6A satellite with Falcon 9 rocket

On July 8, SpaceX launched the first Turksat 6A satellite using the reusable Falcon 9 rocket at 7:30 p.m. ET. The company lifted off the space vehicle from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

This is Turkey’s first domestic and national communication satellite. It was confirmed in September 2023 that SpaceX will carry out this launch in June 2024. However, the mission was pushed to early July based on different factors.

The project has been under development since December 15, 2024. After launch, the satellite is served at 42 east longitude and is located in a geometric orbit at a distance of 35 thousand 786 kilometers.

It has a power of 7.5 kilowatts and includes 20 transponders. Turksat 6A also serves in Ku Band and expanded coverage to the Southeast Asia region. The satellite will last for 15 years.

Liftoff and landing

Before the propellant load, SpaceX shared weather a weather update and gave it a go. However, it postponed the targeted window for 2 hours. Once in the air, Falcon 9 becomes supersonic and performs stage separation.

The booster maneuvered and landed on a droneship. It previously supported CRS-26, OneWeb Launch 16, Intelsat IS-40e, 03b mPOWER, Ovzone 3, Eutelsat 36D, and eight Starlink missions.

At 35 minutes in the mission time, SpaceX deployed the rocket into its designated orbit.