Speaking at the 2021 Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX) in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Tuesday 16 June 2021, Serdar Hüseyin Yildirim, president of the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), discussed details of the country’s space program, which was officially inaugurated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in February this year.
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The rover, which will be launched in 2028 or 2029, according to Yildirim, will land on the moon and collect scientific data.
The rocket launching the lunar rover will be domestically built, using a hybrid engine. “Currently the rocket is being developed in Turkey ,” Yildirim was quoted as saying Live Science, Tuesday (22/6/2021).
To help ensure it’s ready for rover launch, a prototype rocket will fly to the moon in late 2023, if all goes to plan.
“We intend to use our own engines to reach the moon. But for this phase, our spacecraft will be brought to low-Earth orbit with international cooperation,” Yildirim said.
According to a report by the Turkish Anadolu Press Agency, the 2023 mission will make a rough landing on the moon, which will help Turkish engineers collect data for a soft landing in the late 2030s.
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Turkey also plans to send its astronauts to the International Space Station to conduct scientific experiments. “We are trying to complete our negotiations with the parties,” Yildirim said. “In a few months they will be finished, and we will start the training process.”
Turkey’s National Space Program, published in February this year, also forecasts the establishment of a local Turkish spaceport and the development of a regional domestic positioning and timing satellite system.
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