astronomy

Türksat 3A

Türksat 3A is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Türksat 3A rather than just read about it. In short: Türksat 3A is a Turkish communications satellite, operated by Türksat. It was constructed by Thales Alenia Space, based on the Spacebus 4000B2 satellite bus, and was launched by Arianespace atop an Ariane 5ECA launch vehicle, along with the British Skynet 5C satellite, in a dual-payload launch on 12 June 2008 at 22:05:02 GMT, from ELA-3 at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana.

Key takeaways

Türksat 3A belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Türksat 3A to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Türksat 3A from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Türksat 3A is a Turkish communications satellite, operated by Türksat. It was constructed by Thales Alenia Space, based on the Spacebus 4000B2 satellite bus, and was launched by Arianespace atop an Ariane 5ECA launch vehicle, along with the British Skynet 5C satellite, in a dual-payload launch on 12 June 2008 at 22:05:02 GMT, from ELA-3 at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. It is part of the Turksat series of satellites, and is placed in geosynchronous orbit at 42°E to provide communications services to Turkey, Europe and the Middle East. The contract for the construction and in-orbit delivery of Türksat 3A was announced in February 2006. Positioned at 42°E, Türksat 3A replaced the aging Türksat 1C, which entered service in 1996. It consists of 24 Ku band transponders, nine with 36Mhz, 12 with 36 MHz and 12 with 72 MHz bandwidth. Turksat 3A was originally intended to start services at the beginning of 2008.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Türksat 3A

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Türksat 3A claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Türksat 3A before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Türksat 3A ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Türksat 3A

In research: Türksat 3A appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Türksat 3A in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Türksat 3A is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Communications satellites in geostationary orbit, Communications satellites of Turkey, Satellites using the Spacebus bus, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Türksat 3A outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Türksat 3A in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Türksat 3A means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Türksat 3A out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Türksat 3A in simple terms?

Why does Türksat 3A matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Türksat 3A?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Türksat 3A.