Türkiye’s space program still has more to accomplish: 1st Turkish astronaut

By Zeynep Duyar

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye’s National Space Program still has more goals to accomplish, as Alper Gezeravci, the country’s first space traveler, told Anadolu that Türkiye is determined to reach its deserved place in the area of space science and exploration.

He highlighted that the National Space Program was put together in 2021 after the Turkish Space Agency was established in 2018, and the program features 10 goals, the first of which was his launch this January to the International Space Station, and preparations are underway for the remaining nine goals, with updates on the horizon.

Gezeravci said one of the goals of the National Space Program is making contact with the lunar surface to do scientific studies on the Moon, and that Türkiye already has a capacity to reach the Earth’s longtime satellite.

“More information on the lunar process will come out in the coming days,” he said.

He stressed that spacecraft with hybrid engines for the lunar project could be produced domestically to lessen the reliance on other countries, as Türkiye has started its efforts in the space field.

Gezeravci stated that the 13 experiments he did aboard the International Space Station, and the experiments Tuva Cihangir Atasever, Türkiye’s second space traveler, will do on Saturday during his suborbital test flight are connected, and that some are continuations of his own.

His experiments are still being analyzed and processed, and their findings will soon be made public at an international conference, he said.

Gezeravci mentioned that Japan and China will also build space stations and do experiments in space.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul