Türkiye plans to launch its lunar spacecraft, equipped with a domestically developed hybrid propulsion system, in the first months of 2027, the country's industry and technology minister said Thursday.

Mehmet Fatih Kacır said Türkiye had finalized its launch schedule for the Moon mission and that the lunar spacecraft's homegrown hybrid propulsion system had completed all testing phases.

"We will have achieved and brought to life a technological capability that very few countries in the world are capable of accomplishing," he told reporters in the western province of Afyonkarahisar.

The minister said space infrastructure has become a strategic pillar of Türkiye's defense capabilities, pointing to recent achievements in satellite projects including Türksat 6A, Imece, Bilsat, Rasat and Göktürk-2.

Türkiye is also working to secure independent and cost-effective access to space through the construction of its own equatorial spaceport in Somalia.

Kacır said the port is intended to eventually support launches of domestically developed satellites and spacecraft.

"We're reaching the point where these efforts will enable Türkiye to produce rockets capable of launching our own satellites into space entirely through our own means," he noted.

"Equatorial regions offer the opportunity to access space through more cost-effective means, taking advantage of the Earth's rotational speed," he added.

Kacır said these advances were supported by a growing domestic space ecosystem and that a planned space technopark at Middle East Technical University (METU) would bring together institutions and companies to conduct research and development activities.

Beyond its plans for independent launch capabilities, Türkiye is preparing to sign international cooperation agreements to develop and manufacture components for new space stations and is seeking to participate in additional crewed space science missions, he added.

Türkiye is set to host the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) from Oct. 5-9. The event in the southern province of Antalya is expected to bring together about 10,000 participants from more than 100 countries.

Kacır said the event had already broken previous records for pre-registration and paper submissions and was poised to become one of the largest scientific gatherings ever held in Türkiye.

The congress will include a section dedicated to next-generation space startups, highlighting the role of emerging ventures alongside established companies.

A meeting of parliamentarians and government representatives will also culminate in the Antalya Declaration, which is expected to emphasize peace, security and stability amid global geopolitical divisions.