As part of its National Space Program, Türkiye aims to achieve a hard landing on the Moon by the end of 2026, said Yusuf Kırac, head of the Turkish Space Agency, during the Space Technology Conference (STC2025) in Baku, Trend reports.
Kırac emphasized that Türkiye's National Space Program is a roadmap with realistic and competitive objectives, outlining the strategy, goals, and projects for the country's space policy. It takes into account both global trends and the country’s internal capabilities.
He stated that the program consists of ten strategic goals.
"The first phase involves achieving a hard landing on the Moon by the end of 2026, with scientific research to be conducted in lunar orbit beforehand. The second phase will focus on a soft landing, planned for three to four years after the first. This phase is crucial, as it will incorporate all key engineering solutions," Kırac added.
Kırac also pointed out that Türkiye is cooking up communication satellites with a high degree of localization, underscoring the vital role of satellite communication when the chips are down in disaster management.
"For example, after an earthquake, mobile networks become overloaded, and communication is lost. Therefore, satellite communication becomes a critically important alternative," he concluded.