The first Turkish astronaut participating in a space mission made headlines in the international press
On the renowned space website Space.com, it was stated that "Ax-3, Axiom Space's spacecraft carrying the first astronaut of Türkiye, among others, with a crew entirely composed of Europeans."
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- Published Date: 12:15 | 19 January 2024
- Modified Date: 12:26 | 19 January 2024
CNN International also featured the Turkish astronaut in the headline, stating, "SpaceX sent the first Turkish astronaut into space." NPR mentioned Gezeravcı as the first Turkish astronaut to travel to space, emphasizing, "This space flight is not a destination but a journey. It is just the beginning of our long space journey into the future."
Fox Weather reported, "A special astronaut team from Türkiye, Sweden, and Italy began Axiom Space's third mission to the International Space Station on Thursday evening, departing from Florida."
English News mentioned that after docking, the Ax-3 astronauts would spend 14 days in the orbiting laboratory conducting microgravity research.
Voice Of America highlighted that the flight was the "first commercial astronaut mission covering all of Europe," with over 30 experiments planned. Gezeravcı's space adventure was also covered in the Indian media, where The Hindu reported, "Türkiye's first astronaut and the three other crew members representing Europe set off from Florida towards the International Space Station."
NBC Miami reminded that it was the first manned space flight of 2024, quoting Gezeravcı as saying, "This is the beginning of our next century."
Reuters News Agency stated, "Turkey's first astronaut and the three other crew members representing Europe have set off on the journey."
Travel to space station is expected to last about 1.5 days.
The crew will be welcomed by seven astronauts at the space station.
Scientific studies have begun since the launch.
The astronauts, spending 14 days in the microgravity environment of the space station, will conduct numerous experiments, ranging from the effects of space flight on human health and diseases to new generation alloys.
Throughout the process, Gezeravcı will contribute to 13 scientific experiments in space. The studies will be conducted in coordination with TÜBİTAK Space, Axiom Space, and NASA. Gezeravcı will conduct experiments in the fields of biology, medicine, materials science, and genetics. At times, Alper Gezeravcı will address the Earth from the space station, sharing his experiences in space.