Turksat 1B, Türkiye’s first communication satellite sent into space, was successfully launched 29 years ago today, on August 11, 1994, on an Ariana 4 rocket from French Guiana in South America and placed in 42° east orbit.
Turksat 1B, Türkiye’s first successfully launched and orbiting satellite, ended its 12-year mission in 2006.
The retired 1B satellite was sent to the space dumb in accordance with the standards set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Turksat 1B communication satellite
The production and tests of Turksat 1B were carried out by the French company Alcatel Alenia Space Industries.
The satellite, which weighed 3,060 kilograms, covered Türkiye, Europe, and Central Asia.
Turksat 1B, which has a transponder capacity of 10 narrowband 36 MHz, 16 Ku and 6 broadband 72 MHz, was terminated from its television broadcasting and data communication service duties in 2006.
