Erdogan: Turkey Has Not Fallen Behind in the Space Race and Has Achieved Significant Progress - Sarmad

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed that Turkey has not fallen behind in the space race and has made significant progress in a short period despite obstacles and challenges.

Speaking at the opening of the International Astronautical Congress held in Antalya province in southern Turkey, Erdogan said, “The Türksat A6 satellite has demonstrated Turkey’s engineering capabilities, industrial infrastructure, human resources, and confidence in space technologies.”

He added, “Our lunar spacecraft weighs approximately 3.5 tons and is 80 percent locally manufactured. We have completed production, assembly, and integration activities for the spacecraft we developed under our lunar exploration program.”

The Turkish President emphasized that “the militarization of space and its transformation into a tool for an arms race is highly erroneous.”

He continued, “Through our space project in Somalia, we aim to enhance Turkey’s access to space and contribute to the development of the space ecosystem on the African continent.”

Erdogan concluded, “We will not deviate from our goal until we make Turkey one of the strongest players in the global space ecosystem.”

Earlier, Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır confirmed that his country will send a lunar spacecraft equipped with a locally developed hybrid propulsion system to space in the early months of 2027.

He added, “Turkey is taking a highly strategic step by building its own spaceport in Somalia. God willing, this project will be completed soon, and Turkey will have the capability to launch its own rockets, satellites, and spacecraft from its private spaceport.”