Turkish astronaut Atasever: ‘Our first scientific steps began with space missions’

Turkish astronaut Tuva Cihangir Atasever spoke at an event in London on Friday, highlighting Türkiye’s growing space program and the scientific effect of its first manned missions.

The gathering at the Turkish Embassy was attended by Turkish Ambassador to London Osman Koray Ertas, Atasever, and numerous guests.

“Not only space itself, but the scientific research conducted there holds the potential to change human history and the course of time,” Ertas said, adding that Türkiye has accelerated efforts and completed two manned missions.

“There is a strategic mindset behind the investments of major countries and companies in space. We must continue our efforts as well. We can see that these efforts will bring dramatic changes to many areas of life,” he added.

Ertas noted that Türkiye’s participation in the global race is crucial and described Atasever as one of its key contributors.

Atasever said 20 different scientific experiments were conducted during the two missions. “We took our first steps in scientific work through manned space missions,” he said.

Quoting fellow astronaut Alper Gezeravci, he added: “We all take hundreds or thousands of steps every day. Because they are so routine, we don’t care about them. But every parent treasures their child’s first step. We took our first step with scientific work.”

He said the experiments were valuable in building technical and operational expertise in Türkiye.

Atasever noted that the goal is to establish a “Microgravity Research Program” in Türkiye and efforts toward it have been ongoing since last July.

He also delivered a presentation about space missions, preparation stages and the future of scientific research in microgravity.

Türkiye completed its first manned spaceflight to the International Space Station in January 2024, followed by a suborbital flight in June.