President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warmly welcomed Türkiye's trailblazing astronaut Alper Gezeravcı, who recently returned from a historic mission in the International Space Station (ISS) under the National Space Program. The President praised Gezeravcı for championing Türkiye throughout the mission and reaffirmed the country's commitment to space exploration.
Carrying the Turkish nation's pride, Gezeravcı presented to President Erdoğan the Turkish flag he flew during the 18 days he spent at the ISS, along with a commemorative patch inscribed, "Türkiye's first manned space mission."
On January 18, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the Axiom quartet successfully launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket, marking the commencement of Türkiye's inaugural space mission. During his time in space, Gezeravcı conducted numerous experiments and observations on behalf of universities and scientific centers in Türkiye in domains such as astronomy, medicine, genetics, and materials science.
Upon his return, Gezeravcı was greeted with jubilation by Turkish crowds, symbolizing a moment of pride and inspiration for the nation. His achievements emphatically demonstrate the potential of Turkish scientists, engineers, and astronauts to shape the future of space exploration.