Türkiye's new telecommunication satellite Turksat 5B was successfully launched into space on Sunday by American aerospace company SpaceX.
Being capable of transmitting data at more than 55 gigabits, the satellite will settle into orbit in 164 days, and then, a 45-day testing period will begin.
"Today, we launched Türksat 5B, the most powerful and highest-capacity communication satellite of our country, into space. In this satellite project, we also opted for Space X's Falcon 9 rocket," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a video message.
Besides Türkiye, the entire Middle East, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Mediterranean, North and East Africa, Nigeria, South Africa and neighboring countries will be covered by Türksat 5B.
It is also announced that SpaceX will launch Turksat 6A, Türkiye's first domestically built communications satellite, in the first quarter of 2023.