By Ayse Bocuoglu Bodur
ANKARA (AA) – With the stellar journey of the first-ever Turkish space traveler set to start only hours from now, the country is buzzing with excitement, with TV viewers planning to stay up late and events planned to mark the occasion.
Col. Alper Gezeravci is set to be launched to the International Space Station at 1.11 a.m local Turkish time (2211GMT) Thursday from the sunny US state of Florida, where it will still be afternoon.
Reflecting the excitement, a host of activities at science centers and public squares in various cities have been planned, according to Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir.
During his two-week orbital journey around Earth, Gezeravci, a Turkish Air Force F-16 pilot, will conduct 13 scientific experiments in space as prepared by several different Turkish universities and scientific institutes.
After President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the National Space Program in 2021, efforts were launched to send the first Turkish citizen into space.
The astronaut applications were published by the Turkish Space Agency in May 2022, with the selection of candidates based on their work and expertise in fields such as engineering, physics, medicine, astronomy, and sports.
Last April, Erdogan announced that Gezeravci would be the first-ever Turkish space traveler, unveiling his name at TEKNOFEST, Türkiye’s premier technology event.
Türkiye’s first crewed space mission is being carried out in collaboration with private US firm Axiom Space, including astronaut training in Houston, Texas, and the flight service.
As travelers on the Ax-3 mission will also bring along objects symbolizing their personalities and countries, Gezeravci will bring with him family photos, cultural objects, and the Turkish flag.
The mission will include two crewed flights, including Gezeravci's flight to the space station and a suborbital flight with Tuva Cihangir Atasever, a systems engineer at Turkish missile manufacturer Roketsan, expected to take place in the first half of the year.