Turkey unveils national space program

Turkey unveiled its national space program, a roadmap based on realistic and competitive goals, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 9. 

"The national space program will carry our country to an upper league in the global space race," Erdoğan stressed during the introductory meeting in the capital Ankara.

Noting that the program was prepared and will be carried out by the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), Erdoğan said Turkey is opening the door to the sky journey of its civilization that pioneered justice, morality, and peace in the world for centuries.

The program outlines Turkey's 10-year vision, strategies, objectives, and projects on space policies, he noted.

"The primary and most important mission of the program is to make the first contact with the Moon in our republic's centennial year [2023]," Erdoğan said.

Noting that the goal will be completed in two stages, Erdoğan said that at the first stage, a rough landing would be made on the Moon with a national and authentic hybrid rocket that will be launched into orbit at the end of 2023 through international cooperation.

"When completing this task, we will be one of the countries that have managed to reach the Moon, and we will gather necessary information for the second stage of the mission," he said.

At the second stage in 2028, the initial launching, which carried our probe to orbit, will be made through Turkey's own rockets, Erdoğan noted, adding: "As we make a soft landing on the Moon, we will be one of the few countries that could conduct scientific activities on it."

The Moon Program will leverage Turkey's breakthroughs in launch, rocket, and control technologies, he underlined.

Noting that the program's second goal is to create a trademark...