Turkey entered the club of nations visiting the International Space Station on Thursday by sending astronaut Alper Güzer Oğuz on his country’s first manned space mission, amid widespread celebrations in Turkey.
Turkish astronaut Oğuz (44) – a veteran of the Turkish Air Force – embarked on a mission with three European astronauts in the latest commercial mission of the emerging Texas-based company “Axiom Space.”
The “Dragon” spacecraft carried the four astronauts on a mission that reflects the increasing number of countries exploring space travel as a means to enhance global standing, military power, and satellite communications.
The countdown for the “SpaceX Falcon 9” rocket mission began, set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
In his first words from space, Oğuz said he wanted to begin “this moment when the first Turk ascended into space with the brilliant words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our republic: The future is in the sky.”
Güzer Oğuz noted that what he had experienced from the moments of the countdown was incredibly wonderful, adding, “I’ve dreamed of this for a long time, it feels great, everything has been amazing from the start until now.”
A Night of Pride
Residents of Silifke district in Mersin province (Oğuz’s hometown) in southern Turkey followed his launch to the International Space Station via giant screens.
Ali Hamza Pehlivan, the governor of Mersin, told reporters that they are witnessing “a night of pride in the city and indescribable moments.”
The “Falcon 9” rocket – carrying the spacecraft – launched an hour before sunset from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in a journey expected to take 36 hours.
Axiom’s activity relies on sending astronauts sponsored by foreign governments and private institutions to space, with the company charging at least $55 million per person for each trip.
The plans for the “Axiom-3” mission call for the crew to spend about 14 days at the International Space Station, conducting more than 30 scientific experiments, most of which focus on the effects of space travel on human health.
