The very first space traveler from Türkiye is set to blast off into orbit at the start of January, just a few weeks from now, a senior official announced on Thursday.
"Starting on Jan. 9, Col. Alper Gezeravcı will take part in a space mission with Spanish, Italian and Swedish astronauts," Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said on X, formerly Twitter.
During the two-week AX3 mission, Gezeravcı will participate in 13 scientific experiments on the International Space Station (ISS), the minister informed.
"Mark your calendar, The Ax3 mission is targeting a launch date no earlier than Jan. 9, 2024. Lifting off from Florida, our all-European crew will fly on a SpaceX Dragon to Space_Station," Axiom Space said in a post on its official social media account.
Axiom Space is the leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human-rated space infrastructure.
Türkiye selected Gezeravcı, a Turkish Air Forces F-16 pilot, as the country's first prospective space traveler earlier this year during the country’s major technology event Teknofest.
The country established the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) in 2018 and announced its space program in 2019, as well as its intent to send a crewed mission into space.
