T
urkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced a groundbreaking achievement as Turkey embarked on its first human space mission, marking a significant milestone as the nation enters the second century of the Republic.
In a video message, Erdogan expressed pride in this historic moment and underscored the importance of Turkey’s manned space mission, which symbolizes a new chapter in the nation’s scientific history.
“We are taking a step into the second century of our Republic, the Century of Turkey, with the manned space mission we have undertaken for the first time,” declared president Erdoğan, emphasizing the cultural and scientific contributions of Turkey throughout history.
He highlighted the mission’s inspirational aspect, as Turkey sends its first citizen, Alper Gezeravci, a former pilot in the Turkish Air Force, into space. Gezeravci’s journey to the International Space Station is part of Turkey’s National Space Program, and Erdogan expressed pride in achieving one of the program’s key goals.
Erdoğan emphasized the scientific significance of the mission, with 13 experiments covering diverse fields such as astronomy, medicine, genetics, and material science to be conducted during the 14-day mission at the International Space Station.
The launch, initially planned for January 9, took place on January 18 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, under the Ax3 mission by private space exploration firm SpaceX. Four space travelers, including representatives from Turkey, Spain, Italy, and Sweden, are set to conduct over 30 scientific experiments and demonstrations during their orbital research on the ISS.
In a separate development, Axiom Space successfully launched Turkey’s first astronaut, Alper Gezeravci, and three other crew members on the Ax3 mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
The Axiom quartet, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket, embarked on a 36-hour flight to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission is a testament to Axiom’s growing business of arranging commercially sponsored missions from its Houston-based startup.
The launch was a significant achievement for Turkey, marking its entry into the exclusive group of ISS-guest countries. The mission aims to conduct more than 30 scientific experiments during the crew’s approximately 14 days in microgravity aboard the ISS, focusing on various aspects of human health and disease in space.
The success of this all-European commercial astronaut mission reflects the increasing global interest in space exploration and enhances the prestige and capabilities of participating nations.
Source: Anadolu Agency and Reuters
Stay informed by subscribing to
our weekly newsletter.
