Meeting with Astronauts at the TÜBİTAK 26th Sky Observation Event

Turkey’s first astronaut Alper Gezeravcı and Turkey’s second astronaut Tuva Cihangir Atasever met with sky enthusiasts at the TUBITAK 26th Sky Observation Event.

TUBITAK’s 26th Sky Observation Event, which was held in Bursa Uludağ and will last until August 11, continued with activities on its second day.

Alper Gezeravcı, who came together with sky enthusiasts, said that they have accomplished important work in their fields.

Describing his experiences and work in space, Gezeravcı spoke as follows:

“As the Republic of Turkey, we have become the 22nd country among the 193 countries registered in the United Nations to send our own people into space and conduct scientific research in space by accomplishing this mission. This is not a statistic to be denied. We were able to learn the same things by doing the same thing that the 21 countries before us did. Thanks to the brilliant scientists of this country, we have had the opportunity to conduct experiments that are original in their field and that have attracted much attention for the first time in space history. I am grateful to our scientists at this point. There are 8.5 billion people in the world today. Although these people take billions of steps outside every day, the most valuable step in a parent’s life is the first step their child takes. This is the first step a Turkish child takes in space.”

“There is a space ecosystem that is growing beyond expectations”

Tuva Cihangir Atasever said that he has important goals for the National Space Program.

Stating that they plan to reach the moon twice by making one hard and one soft landing, Atasever said, “We plan to build a spaceport. We will take steps to develop the space ecosystem.”

Atasever, drawing attention to the fact that the space ecosystem has grown significantly, said:

“A study published in 2020 states that the space industry could reach a size of 440 billion dollars in 2024. When we look at it, the size of the space industry has exceeded this data. There is a space ecosystem that is growing beyond expectations. This space ecosystem will reach a size of trillions of dollars in the coming years. Costs are decreasing thanks to various commercialization trends. Investment funds and human resources transferred to space companies are increasing. Competencies are developing. Commercial space stands before us as a very important area of ​​added value for our country in the coming years. That is why we are taking steps and developing our national space program so that Turkey gets its rightful share of the added value that will be created. We want to be able to create and build a prosperous living space and country for our youth and our entire nation and build the century of Turkey.”