Türkiye achieves milestone with first crew space mission, President Erdogan says in video message

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a significant milestone early Friday as Türkiye ventures into the second century of the Republic with the commencement of its inaugural human space mission.

Erdogan delivered a video message as part of Türkiye's inaugural crewed space flight under the National Space Program and said the country is witnessing a historic moment and experiencing a pinnacle of shared pride.

"We are taking a step into the second century of our Republic, the Century of Türkiye, with the manned space mission we have undertaken for the first time," said Erdogan.

As heirs to a civilization that has significantly contributed to the history of science, Erdogan highlighted the commencement of a valuable new chapter, aiming to re-enact the mission carried throughout history.

“For the first time, we are sending a citizen into space to inspire our young people who look to the horizon with a sparkle in their eyes and our children whose dreams cannot be contained within the world,” he said.

Highlighting the heroic service of Alper Gezeravci, a former pilot in the Turkish Air Force, Erdogan emphasized that after extensive preparations and training, Gezeravci has embarked on a journey to the International Space Station.

"Thus, we are realizing one of our goals in our National Space Program, which we announced to the world in 2021. Within the scope of the 'Turkish Space Science' mission, which will last for 14 days at the International Space Station, 13 experiments prepared by our scientists will be conducted,” he said.

Scientific studies will cover diverse fields such as astronomy, medicine, genetics and material science, added Erdogan.

Gezeravci's launch on the Ax3 mission will be conducted by private space exploration firm SpaceX in Cape Canaveral, Florida, with its Falcon 9 rocket at 4.49 p.m. EST. or 12.49 a.m. Türkiye time.

Liftoff was initially planned for Jan. 9 but was postponed twice to Jan. 17 and then to Jan. 18.

Four space travelers from Türkiye, Spain, Italy, and Sweden will conduct more than 30 scientific experiments and demonstrations on the ISS as part of the Ax3 mission.