Turksat 4A
| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| Operator | Turksat |
| Mission duration | 15 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | MELCO DS2000 |
| Manufacturer | MELCO |
| Launch mass | ~4,910 kilograms (10,820 lb) |
| Power | 7,670 Watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | February 14, 2014, 21:09:03 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-M/Briz-M |
| Launch site | Baikonur Site 81/24 |
| Contractor | ILS |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 42° East |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 28 Ku band 2 Ka band |
| Bandwidth | 1,750 megahertz (total) |
Türksat 4A is a Turkish communications satellite, operated by Turksat. It was constructed by Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO) of Japan, based on the MELCO DS2000 satellite bus, and was launched by the American-Russian joint-venture company International Launch Services (ILS) atop a Russian Proton-M space launch vehicle on February 14, 2014 at 21:09:03 from Site 81/24 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The in-orbit delivery contract for the satellite was signed in March 2011. In the scope of the contract, Turkish engineers were trained in the facilities of MELCO in Japan. During the official visit of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Japan, the satellite was handed over by the Mitsubishi Electric to the Turkish officials in a ceremony on January 8, 2014.
The initially planned launch date of Türksat 4A in November 2013 was postponed to February 2014 due to the suspension of the Proton-M launches because of problems, which arose on December 8, 2012.
Türksat 4A is part of the Turksat series of satellites, and was placed in a temporary geosynchronous orbit at 50°E, where it will remain around three months. During this period, orbital and subsystem tests will be conducted. Thenafter, the satellite will be transferred to 42°E to provide telecommunication and direct TV broadcasting services over a wide geographic region between west of China and east of England spanning Turkey, as well as Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
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