Türkiye's 1st astronaut to begin space journey this week

Col. Alper Gezeravci will take part in mission along with his Spanish, Italian, and Swedish colleagues

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye's first space traveler is scheduled to blast off from the US state of Florida to the International Space Station this week, at 01:11 a.m. local time on Thursday (GMT2211 Wednesday).

The Ax3 mission was originally scheduled for Jan. 9, but bad weather caused it to be rescheduled for Jan. 17.

Turkish astronaut Col. Alper Gezeravci will take part in the mission along with his Spanish, Italian, and Swedish colleagues.

The crew is expected to dock with the International Space Station at 1:15 p.m. (GMT1015) on Friday.

During the two-week mission, Gezeravci will participate in 13 scientific experiments on the International Space Station.

Türkiye selected Gezeravci, a Turkish Air Forces F-16 pilot, as the country's first prospective space traveler last year during the major technology event, TEKNOFEST.

The Turkish Space Agency was established in 2018 and announced its space program in 2019, as well as its intention to send a crewed mission into space.

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