The suborbital research flight of Türkiye’s second astronaut Tuva Cihangir Atasever is scheduled for June 8 from Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport facilities in New Mexico, United States, a Turkish minister said on Tuesday.
As part of Türkiye’s National Space Program, the country has set 10 targets, including the “Turkish Astronaut and Science Mission,” Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said at a press conference.
During the press conference, the minister was joined by Alper Gezeravci, the country’s first-ever space traveler, who participated in Türkiye’s National Space Program launched in 2021.
Alper Gezeravci, a 44-year-old fighter pilot and colonel in the Turkish Air Force, completed a two-week journey on the International Space Station in January.
“Next up is the suborbital research flight of our other astronaut, Tuva Cihangir Atasever. In this flight, the ‘VSS Unity’ suborbital vehicle that will carry our astronaut will first reach an altitude of about 45,000 feet via a carrier aircraft, and then reach an altitude of about 90 kilometers by firing its hybrid fuel rocket engine,” said the Turkish minister.
During the approximately 3-minute free-fall phase, it will be possible to conduct seven experiments in a microgravity environment, ranging from biological molecules to gene analysis, metabolism changes to suppressor cells, insulin pen to radiation analysis, he added.
The minister said both astronauts had received astronaut training provided by Axiom Space, Space X, and NASA. ■
