In recent years, Turkey has announced its own space research program, the National Space Program. Moon exploration program It was announced that Turkey’s first spacecraft would also go to the moon. President Erdoğan said in his 2022 statement: “Next year we will launch our national and unique rocket. We will make a hard landing on the moon.‘ he said. However, it appears that the launch process has been postponed. The process will be completed in 2026.

According to the news from Anadolu Agency, the Ministry of Industry and Technology, Turkish Space Agency (TUA) Turkey’s ten-year plans and goals were unveiled under the National Space Program, prepared based on the studies of TÜBİTAK and TÜBİTAK and the contributions of organizations in the country. The first of the announced programs, the Lunar Research Program, will be implemented with the aim of making Turkey one of the few countries present on the moon.

New date given for the Moon Project

The first phase of the Lunar Exploration Program aims to explore the Moon from orbit and make first contact with the Moon’s surface under the AYAP-1 project. In the second phase, the plan is to land a roving rover on the moon’s surface together with AYAP-2. robber These vehicles, called ‘Drops’, can be used on the surface of planets or satellites.

Within the scope of the Lunar Research Program’s AYAP-1 project Will reach lunar orbit from Earth An instrument will be developed. This vehicle will collect data on the lunar surface from orbit and then manage mission operations for the rover that will be used on the lunar surface. Technologies, products, software and equipment developed with national resources will be used.

Turkey’s first “Moon” and “Deep Space” missions will be carried out with AYAP-1. So Turkiye operational experience It will also make significant progress in the field of In addition, a spacecraft capable of soft landings and capable of operating in lunar orbit, at a distance of 400,000 kilometers from Earth, will be developed.

Developed with domestic resources with the project Hybrid propulsion systemwill acquire space history with this project. from the moon’s surface has yet to be collected High-resolution images and scientific data containing information such as the origin of water, mini magnetosphere formations, surface components, surface temperature and reflectance maps and radiation will be translated into information by scientists in Turkey.

The door to Deep Space studies opens

project, In the National Space Program Progress is being made with the participation of many people from industry and academia in Turkey. Thus, the space ecosystem in Turkey will be strengthened. Moreover, the data to be collected and the information obtained will increase Turkey’s competence and the level of international cooperation. This opens the door for ‘Deep Space’ research.

Launch postponed until 2026

In studies to date System level design phase While completed, it was announced that activities are currently continuing in the detailed design phase. In this phase, equipment, modules and components are developed. It was stated that the suitability of the equipment to be used in the spacecraft for its mission was also assessed and production of qualification models for some equipment was initiated. After the equipment passes the qualification test, flight models are produced and integrated into the spacecraft. After the flight models of the subsystems and equipment have been produced, system level integration will be performed, followed by environmental and functional testing. The processes are expected to be completed in 2026 and the vehicle will be launched in the same year.