On Saturday, Türkiye announced its very own probe rocket, an ambitious development in the nation’s space efforts. Developed domestically by Roketsan, the rocket was test-fired from Igneada. Prior to the launch, a maritime safety advisory was issued, covering the area between the provinces of Edirne and Giresun.
The Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) President Haluk Görgün commented, “We have crossed another very important threshold in our domestic and national rocket technologies. Thanks to our rocket technologies, which we have successfully launched, our space studies will gain great momentum… We are determined to carry our high technologies further into space, the dominant hill of humanity, and to support our companies to achieve their goals.”
Turkish Space Agency
The launch is in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s decade-long space plan, which he unveiled in February 2021. Consequently, this includes lunar missions, the dispatch of Turkish astronauts, and the establishment of satellite systems.
In 2018, the founders established the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) to join the club of nations with space programs. As part of the nation’s space plan, in April of this current year, President Erdoğan introduced the inaugural Turkish space voyagers. He revealed intentions to dispatch them to the International Space Station (ISS) during the final quarter of this year. The 14 day mission will focus on research and represent Türkiye’s pioneering achievement in this endeavor.
Read more: Is colonizing the moon, outer space, safeguarding humanity’s future?
The space mission will be in partnership with Axiom Space, a United States firm that works on space infrastructure. Further, Axiom Space will attend to the training and flight servicing of Turkish astronauts. The training curriculum will be months long.
Mission to the moon
Seen as part of Erdoğan’s drive to elevate Türkiye’s global role, the 10-year program includes a moon mission. It has two stages: the first, through international cooperation, and the second, employing Turkish rockets. Türkiye also aims to collaborate on a spaceport and establish itself as a satellite technology leader.
Türkiye, as part of their plans, is working on developing a crewless spacecraft, with hopes of using it in a moon mission by the end of the year. According to their plans, they will complete their moon mission in two parts. The first will launch the spacecraft into orbit. With the help of international cooperation, once in orbit, the domestic engine is planned to take the craft to the moon’s surface. In 2028, the second stage of the mission will begin, and will launch its own rockets into space.
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