President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Türkiye will continue pursuing its space ambitions until it becomes a strong and respected player in the global space ecosystem, highlighting advances in lunar exploration, satellite technology and space infrastructure.
“We will not deviate from our goal until we make Türkiye one of the strong and respected actors in the global space ecosystem,” Erdogan said at the opening of the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya.
He said Türkiye had made significant progress in a relatively short period despite technological and other challenges, adding that Ankara would continue investing in its capabilities to ensure the country does not fall behind in the global space race.
Türkiye completes lunar spacecraft integration
Erdogan announced that production, assembly and integration work on the lunar spacecraft developed under Türkiye’s Lunar Research Program has been completed.
The spacecraft weighs around 3.5 tons and has a domestic production rate of more than 80 percent, which Erdogan described as a source of “great pride.”
He also pointed to Türksat 6A, Türkiye’s domestically developed communications satellite, as evidence of the country’s growing engineering capabilities, industrial infrastructure and human resources in space technologies.
Türkiye has also expanded its international space ambitions, including plans for a spaceport project in Somalia.
Erdogan said the initiative would improve Türkiye’s access to space while helping strengthen Africa’s broader space ecosystem.
The country’s space push comes as Antalya hosts the 77th International Astronautical Congress from October 5 to 9, marking the first time Türkiye has hosted the event.
More than 10,000 participants are expected to attend, with representatives from more than 100 countries taking part.
Erdogan calls for wider access to space
Erdogan said space exploration should not be dominated by a small group of countries and warned against turning outer space into another arena for military competition.
“Space is not made up of spoils to be seized by whoever gets there first,” he said, arguing that weaponising space and using it as an instrument in an arms race would be fundamentally wrong.
He also highlighted TEKNOFEST, Türkiye’s flagship aerospace and technology festival, saying its latest edition attracted applications from more than 730,000 teams from all 81 Turkish provinces and 97 countries.
The congress in Antalya is being held under the theme “The World Needs More Space” and is bringing together space agencies, scientists, engineers, companies and policymakers to discuss exploration, technology and international cooperation.
