Turkey’s First Astronaut Rockets to International Space Station

On Thursday, January 18th, Turkey celebrated a historic moment as its first astronaut, Alper Gezeravci, along with three European astronauts, embarked on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS). Launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the group traveled aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket. News agency Reuters reported that the Crew Dragon was scheduled to dock with the ISS early Saturday morning, joining the seven astronauts currently on the station.

During the mission, named Ax-3 and organized by Axiom Space, a Texas-based startup, flight commander Michael López-Alegría acknowledged the teamwork involved, expressing his gratitude over the radio to mission control. Axiom Space has been focusing on facilitating spaceflights for astronauts sponsored by foreign governments and private entities, with this being their third mission in two years.

Alper Gezeravci, 44, a Turkish Air Force colonel, represents Turkey’s first foray into manned space missions. His colleagues include Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei, 49, serving as the mission’s pilot; Swedish aviator Marcus Wandt, 43, another mission specialist; and Michael López-Alegría, 65, a retired NASA astronaut with dual Spanish and American citizenship.

The crew is tasked with conducting over 30 scientific experiments, mainly centered around the impact of spaceflight on human health and diseases. Upon successful docking with the ISS, they are expected to be greeted by the station’s current regular crew, which includes two NASA astronauts, one astronaut each from Japan and Denmark, and three Russian cosmonauts.