Back on Earth, Turkiye’s first astronaut return to his homeland

Turkiye’s first astronaut, Alper Gezeravci, arrived in his homeland yesterday, days after returning to Earth and completing his three-week mission in space, local media reported.

After landing at Esenboga Airport in the capital Ankara following health checks in the US, Gezeravci was welcomed by Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Yusuf Kirac, the president of the Turkish Space Agency (TUA), Hasan Mandal, the head of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye (TÜBİTAK) and Tuva Cihangir Atasever, Turkiye’s second astronaut.

Gezeravci gave the 13 Turkish flags that he took to the International Space Station (ISS) and brought back to Earth to the children who welcomed him at the airport.

“I am here with the happiness of reaching our goal,” Gezeravci told the press, noting that the country’s first manned space mission is not “a point of arrival.”

“This was just the beginning. It was not a story of arriving somewhere. This success is the success of a child from every household in Turkiye. Although we have not had a mission in this field in our history, we had a great preparation process with such a perfect synergy,” he expressed.

“I felt once again that we should be grateful for the blessings the world has given us. It is a wonderful opportunity to look at this wonderful beauty from the outside,” Gezeravci added.

Turkey established its own space agency in 2018, and said it will land on the moon by 2026.

READ: Turkiye’s first astronaut, along with Sweden and Italy, launch to space station