CTech, which is among the project partners of TÜRKSAT 6A, Turkey’s first communication satellite manufactured indigenously, will be the first domestic company to realize communication from a range of 70 thousand km thanks to the subsystem it provides by adding the space to the air, land and sea areas where it offers technological products with the launch of the satellite into space.
The TÜRKSAT 6A satellite, in the production of which TÜBİTAK Space, Turkish Aerospace, ASELSAN and CTech are project partners, was sent into space from the United States on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space X. After the launch, the satellite will reach an altitude of 70 thousand km during orbit transfer and the communication subsystem provided by CTech will communicate with the ground station at this range. Thus, CTech will be the first domestic company of our country to carry out communication at a range of 70 thousand km. Turkey’s first indigenous geosynchronous communication satellite, which will provide service to a population of 5 billion by covering Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and most of Asia in addition to Turkey, will then settle into its orbit at 42 degrees east longitude and 35 thousand kilometers altitude, where it will serve for 15 years.
24/7 Uninterrupted Communication
Dr. Cüneyd Fırat, General Manager of CTech, underlined that with the TÜRKSAT 6A satellite, for the first time in the history of our country, they will be the first domestic company to carry out communication at a range of 70 thousand km. “As CTech, we have developed the Telemetry, Telecommand and Ranging Subsystem, which enables the transmission of telemetry, which is the critical data produced on the satellite, to the satellite ground control station, the reception of telecommands by the satellite computer, which enables remote control, and the transmission of the ranging signal, which enables its orbit to be determined with high precision. Thanks to this subsystem, the TÜRKSAT 6A satellite will be able to communicate with the ground station 24/7 without interruption.”
In Space After Sea, Land And Air
Founded in 2005, CTech started working on satellite communication products in 2007 and signed the contract for TÜRKSAT 6A – Telemetry, Telecommand and Ranging Subsystem in 2014. With the launch of TÜRKSAT 6A into space, the company added space to the sea, air and land areas where it offers technological products, and continues to work on new collaborations in the field of satellites.
Domestic Production Signature In Space
Stating that they have carried domestic production to space by combining experience and innovative spirit, Fırat said: “As CTech, we are developing and producing domestically the equipment that constitutes the entire subsystem, which was previously developed by foreign manufacturers in communication satellites supplied from abroad. In this context, CTech has provided telemetry transmitters that transfer the data generated on the satellite to the ground station, telecommand receivers that enable the satellite to receive and process the commands sent from the ground station, antennas that enable the transfer of data from the satellite to the ground station or from the ground station to the satellite, and waveguide equipment that ensures the transmission of signals to the correct points within the satellite. Since 2014, we have been working on the project and the final integration process on the satellite was carried out on May 9, 2024. Each of our colleagues in the project worked with great dedication and meticulousness, and overcame the challenging acceptance and quality control tests. With TÜRKSAT 6A, it is a source of great happiness for us to have our products in space after sea, land and air platforms. In the future, we will continue to work with CTech Telemetry, Telecommand and Ranging Subsystem to ensure that satellites from Turkey or other countries will go to space in certain segments.”
What is The Telemetry, Telecommand and Ranging Subsystem?
The Telemetry, Telecommand and Ranging Subsystem is one of the most critical subsystems of satellites. Telemetry, which is the health information produced on the satellite, telecommands that enable remote control of the satellite, and the ranging function that enables the satellite’s orbit to be determined with high precision are provided through this subsystem. In other words, the entire data flow that enables the satellite to be monitored and controlled via ground stations is realized through the Telemetry, Telecommand and Ranging Subsystem.
This subsystem consists of;
– Receiver and transmitter units,
– Antennas,
– It consists of components that provide signal transmission between antennas and transceiver units.
The Telemetry, Telecommand and Ranging Subsystem and its equipment have been developed to ensure uninterrupted communication with ground stations 24/7 for at least 15 years on geostationary satellites. For this reason, it will be able to withstand challenging conditions such as radiation that it will be exposed to in orbit during the specified period.
