First Turkish astronaut arrives in Türkiye

ANKARA

Türkiye’s first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, arrived in the country on Feb. 12, a few days after returning to Earth and completing his two-week mission in space.

After landing at Esenboğa Airport in the capital Ankara following health checks in the U.S., he was welcomed by Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Yusuf Kıraç, the president of the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), Hasan Mandal, the head of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) and Tuva Cihangir Atasever, Türkiye's second astronaut.

Gezeravcı gave the 13 Turkish flags that he took to the International Space Station (ISS) and brought back to Earth for the children who welcomed the astronaut at the airport.

Answering the questions of the press members in a joint press conference with Kacır, Gezeravcı said, "I am here with the happiness of reaching our goal,” noting that the country’s first manned space mission is not “a point of arrival.”

"This was just a beginning. It was not a story of arriving somewhere. This success is the success of a child from every household in Türkiye. Although we have not had a mission in this field in our history, we had a great preparation process with such a perfect synergy," he expressed.

"I felt once again that we should be grateful for the blessings the world has given us. It is a wonderful opportunity to look at this wonderful beauty from the outside," Gezeravcı added.

Upon a question on his health condition and adaptation process following his return, the astronaut noted he did not create any expectations in his mind about his health condition, “neither during the departure nor during the return.”

"Without any problems I was able to adapt to the possibility of moving in zero gravity. I did not need any additional support. The return was a different experience. There was never a moment when I felt I was struggling," he said.

For his part, Kacır reminded that Gezeravcı successfully completed 13 scientific experiments in space, adding that Gezeravcı’s mission “has opened a new page for Türkiye in space and science technologies.”

“Gezeravcı's message to Turkish youth was one of self-confidence. Our space science mission was discussed across the country in this sense, this mission was a new beginning toward becoming a scientific society,” the minister said.

Kacır also said that Gezeravcı will address young people during visits to all 81 provinces in the upcoming periods.

Noting that his ministry and other related institutions will continue their work within the National Space Program, Kacır announced the establishment of a space technology research area in the capital.

“We will carefully evaluate the outputs of the experiments and provide the necessary support. We will establish a Space Technology Development Zone in Ankara,” he stated.

“We will maintain independent access to the space program. We plan to develop launch rockets and establish a spaceport by 2030. This program, which we will carry out with unmanned systems, will offer the opportunity to use and commercialize in harsh space conditions,” Kacır concluded.