Turkiye to send two unmanned spacecraft to Moon within 10 years
Over the next decade, Turkiye plans to carry out two missions to the Moon using unmanned spacecraft, TASS reports
According to Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Fatih Kacir, the flight of the first Turkish cosmonaut, Alper Gezeravji, scheduled for January 18th, will give a start to Turkiye’s national lunar programme.
Fatih Kacir added that the country will send a spacecraft to the Moon, which has been designed domestically. “We have entered the production stage already, and we plan to carry out this mission twice within ten years. It will be an unpiloted mission. Technically speaking, a hard landing on the Moon is planned initially," he noted.
In 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially announced the start of a national space programme worth about $6bn. It includes the training of astronauts and a launch of the country’s own rocket to reach the Moon.
