Turkey to Send Its First National Spacecraft to the Moon in 2027
Within the framework of its national space program, Turkey plans to send its first national spacecraft to the Moon in 2027 and at the same time prepare for the establishment of the “Space Weather Applications Center.”
According to Turkey’s Presidential Annual Program for 2027, new projects will be implemented in the fields of lunar exploration, development of domestic satellites, and strengthening of space technology infrastructure. In this regard, preparations for the establishment of the “Space Weather Applications Center” will begin.
This center is designed to monitor and model changes in the space environment, including solar storms. These phenomena can disrupt the operation of satellites, communication and navigation systems, and even power transmission networks on Earth. The new center will also be responsible for coordinating university research and developing international cooperation.
In the field of space exploration, the lunar research mission spacecraft named “AYAP-1” is scheduled to be launched into space in 2027. Activities related to testing, system integration, and verification of critical technologies for this mission are ongoing.
Turkey also plans to complete the integration, environmental testing, and launch preparation phases of the “IMECE-2” imaging satellite in the same year and to advance the system integration work of the “IMECE-3” satellite. These projects will be carried out in cooperation with Turkey’s Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Turkish Space Agency, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), and universities in the country.
