Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Tuesday a 10-year space program that includes missions to the moon and the development of new satellite systems.
Why it matters: Erdoğan said his country plans to send its citizens into space with international cooperation, build a spaceport with other countries and create a “global brand” of satellite technology, according to the AP.
What is he saying: “The national space program will take our country to a higher position in the global space race,” said Erdoğan, according to Turkish state media. “The main and most important mission of the program is to make the first contact with the Moon in the year of the centenary of our republic [2023]. “
- Erdoğan added that Turkey has spent 2.1 billion lire (about $ 300 million) on satellite, space, launch systems and space equipment over the past 18 years.
Of importance: However, Erdoğan did not give specific details about how the county plans to achieve its ambitious goals.
The big picture: Russian state media reported on Tuesday that the president of the Turkish Space Agency, Serdar Huseyin Yildirim, said that Turkey is in the process of a draft agreement with Russia on space cooperation.
- “Certainly, Russia is a very important space nation, we are well aware of that. In fact, we want to cooperate,” said Yildirim.
- Erdoğan spoke with Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk last month about possible cooperation in space technologies with Turkish companies, according to Bloomberg.