Türkiye's first space traveller set to blast off in January

Türkiye's first manned space mission will depart for the International Space Station [ISS] on 17 January at 2211 GMT (18 January at 1:11 am local time for Türkiye), a top Turkish official and NASA have announced.

Colonel Alper Gezeravci with the Axiom Mission 3 [Ax-3] crew will head to the ISS, Turkish Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said on X on Thursday.

"This historic mission will be a great source of inspiration for future generations as well as being an important milestone in Türkiye's space science studies," Kacır said.

The Ax-3 crew will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket inside a Dragon spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They are expected to dock with the ISS on 19 January at 1015 GMT (1:15 pm local time for Türkiye).

Kacır later told reporters on Friday that a 14-day quarantine process, mandatory for space missions for ensuring the health of the astronauts already stationed on the ISS, had begun.

"We hope that this journey will contribute significantly to the international scientific literature, mark a crucial milestone in Türkiye's space studies, and serve as a great source of inspiration for future generations," he added.

"Hopefully, Türkiye will achieve another first in space studies."

Commemorative stamp

A special commemorative stamp and envelope were designed by the Turkish Space Agency [TUA] and PTT, the national post and telegraph directorate, for Türkiye's first manned space mission, in which Gezeravci will raise the Turkish flag in space.

The stamp features various symbols, each with a special meaning for the important journey, including a silhouette of Gezeravci with a patch of the Turkish flag on his shoulder.

Türkiye selected Gezeravci, a Turkish Air Force F-16 pilot, as the country's first prospective space traveller last year during the major technology event TEKNOFEST.

The Turkish Space Agency was established in 2018 and announced its space programme in 2019, as well as its intention to send a crewed mission into space.