Turkey Joins Other Nations in Sending Rover to Moon by 2023, Space Agency Discusses Details

Turkey is planning to send a rover to the moon by 2028 or 2029, using a domestically-developed rocket engine that will have its first flight to the moon in a test mission in three years.

A Space.com report specified, Turkish Space Agency, TUA President Serder Hüseyin Yildirim, speaking at the Global Space Exploration Conference 2021 in Petersburg Russia discussed early this week, details of the space program of the country, which was officially announced by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan early this year, in February.

The rover, which is slated for launch in 2028 or 2029, Yildirim said, will softly land on the moon and collect scientific data on its surface

The TUA official also said the rocket that launches the moon rover will be built domestically through the use of a hybrid engine that Turkey is currently developing.

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Test Mission in 2023

To help guarantee that the space agency is ready for the rover launch, a prototype of the rocket is set to fly to the moon in the latter part of 2023, if everything goes as planned.

According to Yildirim, they intend to use their own engine "to reach the moon." However, for this phase, he explained that their spacecraft will be taken to low Earth or orbit with international collaboration.

Based on a Turkish Anadolu Press Agency report, 2023 will make a rough landing on the moon, which will help engineers of Turkey to collect data for the soft landing in the late 2020s.

Aside from this, a similar Koliasa report said Turkey is planning to send 30 astronauts to the International Space Station in years ahead, to carry out scientific experiments.

Commenting on the plan, the official said they are now trying to finalize their negotiations with the parties adding, in a few months they will be finalized, the braining process will begin.

Turkey's National Space Program

The National Space Program of Turkey, published in February this year, foresees the establishment too, of a local Turkish spaceport, as well as the development of a domestic region positioning and timing satellite system.

According to TUA's website, this program is prepared, taking into account the worldwide developments, with the objective of enabling the coordinated, not to mention, the integrated carrying out of strategies, projects, visions, and targets this country in line with national space policy.

It was in 2018 when Turkey launched its space agency. According to the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, at that time, the move was criticized as it took place in the middle of an economic crisis.

Nonetheless, supporters have claimed the space program can serve as motivation for researchers and scientists to stay in the country, rather than searching for opportunities abroad. When it comes to the budget of the program, this report said details have not yet been provided.

Moreover, the space program will allow Turkey to be part of an exclusive club of a few other nations that are capable of pulling off multifaceted space exploration projects on their own.

The space program's announcement early this year took place on the same day the regional rival United Arab Emirates' Emirates Mars Mission successfully entered orbit around the Red Planet.

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