Türkiye’s 1st manned space journey set to launch this week

By Zeynep Duyar

Türkiye this week is set to start its first manned space mission as a part of its National Space Program, and the first Turkish space traveler to be sent to the International Space Station (ISS) is Alper Gezeravci, a Turkish Air Force pilot.

After President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the National Space Program in 2021, efforts were launched to send a 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 engineering, physics, medicine, astronomy, and sports.

Last April, Erdogan announced that Col. Gezeravci would be the first-ever Turkish space traveler, unveiling his name at TEKNOFEST, Türkiye’s premier technology event.

Gezeravci is set to be launched from the US state of Florida to the International Space Station this Thursday at 1.11 am local Turkish time (GMT2211 Wednesday).

The Ax-3 mission crew, made up of Spanish mission leader Michael Lopez-Alegria, Italian Air Force pilot Walter Villadei, and Marcus Wandt from Sweden on behalf of the European Space Agency, is expected to dock at the International Space Station at 1.15 pm (GMT1015) on Friday.

Türkiye’s first manned space mission is being carried out in collaboration with the US-based Axiom Space, including astronaut training in Houston, Texas, and the flight service.

For two weeks, Gezeravci will do 13 experiments on the space station, with subjects ranging from cancer to immune cells and algae to propolis, studies that will contribute to the scientific literature.

As travelers on the Ax-3 mission will also bring along objects symbolizing their personalities and countries, Gezeravci will bring family photos, cultural objects, and the Turkish flag.

The mission will include two manned flights, including Gezeravci's flight to the ISS 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.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim