Design of Turkish spacecraft comes to end, production to start

By Seda Tolmac

ANKARA (AA) – The design process for Türkiye's spacecraft for the moon mission came to an end and the production phase is about to start, the head of Turkish Space Agency (TSA) said.

The space agency is working hard for sending the candidate to the moon on the centennial of the Republic of Türkiye, Serdar Huseyin Yildirim told Anadolu, as he gave information about Türkiye's National Space Program.

The Turkish space traveler will stay in space for two weeks and perform 13 experiments, Yildirim said.

Training of two candidates continues intensively, he also said, adding: "Candidates receive training on several different subjects; eating, drinking, sleeping, and similar processes."

The spacecraft is being prepared by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK), he said.

The design of the vehicle has been completed, Yildirim said, adding that it is now at a state called "critical design," which is about to end.

"Now the production will begin, everything is fine here, our first goal is to reach moon," he stressed.

After the first expedition, the agency plans to make a soft landing on moon in 2029-2030, Yildirim said.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun from Istanbul