The launch took place at 7:30 p.m. EDT after being delayed due to bad weather. The event was streamed online for viewers worldwide.
"All systems are looking good for today's launch of the @Turksat 6A mission from Florida. Weather conditions have improved for liftoff, and propellant load is underway," SpaceX posted on X.
Turkey has had satellites launched before, but this marks the first time the country has built one entirely on its own. With this achievement, Turkey joins a select group of just 11 countries capable of manufacturing their own communications satellites.
In December 2021, SpaceX launched the Turksat 5B communications satellite to geostationary orbit 22,236 miles above Earth. It joined Turksat 5A, which flew in January 2021 during the Cape's first rocket launch of that year.
Weather forecasts had predicted afternoon thunderstorms, which had initially pushed back the launch window. However, conditions improved, allowing the Falcon 9 first stage to launch for the 15th time. This booster was previously part of SpaceX's 26th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station on Nov. 9. It has also been used for the 16th batch of OneWeb satellites and eight Starlink flights. The booster successfully landed on the SpaceX droneship "Just Read the Instructions" about 8 minutes after launch.
The Turksat 6A satellite was deployed into its temporary orbit at 8:10 p.m. EDT, approximately 70 minutes after liftoff.
"Our local and national communication satellite, which will have a power of 7.5 kilowatts, will have 20 transponders," Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Turkey's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, said in a September 2023 news release. "Our TURKSAT 6A satellite will serve in Ku Band and will also provide service in new geography such as South-East Asia, which could not be covered by previous Turksat satellites."
The satellite will provide data relay for civil and military communications to the Anatolian peninsula as well as most of the European continent, the Middle East, and the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, according to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Weighing 9,400 pounds, the satellite is designed for a 15-year lifespan and will increase the reach of Turkey's satellites "from 3.5 billion to 5 billion" people, Uraloglu said.
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