The production, assembly and integration stages of the spacecraft that Türkiye will send to the Moon have been completed. The vehicle, taken from TÜBİTAK UZAY’s OPMER facilities in September, was sent to the Space Systems Integration and Test Center within TAI for launch and testing of the challenging conditions it will encounter in the space environment. After the tests are completed, the vehicle will be taken to the new clean room and integration facility prepared at TÜBİTAK UZAY’s METU campus. After final checks, it is planned to be sent to the Kennedy Space Center in the USA for launch. Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said in his statement that the vehicle was produced with 87 percent local production and will be sent to the Moon in the first months of 2027.
IT WILL REACH THE MOON IN TWO MONTHS
According to the planned mission, the Lunar Spacecraft will make a journey of approximately two months after being launched in the first months of 2027. The vehicle is planned to be placed in a polar and circular mission orbit at an altitude of approximately 100 kilometers above the Moon’s surface. It is aimed to work here for at least three months.. If the mission performance is appropriate, the operation period can be extended to one and a half years. In the first stage, the vehicle will function as a satellite around the Moon. One of the main purposes is to collect scientific data about the conditions on the Moon’s surface and its surroundings.
WATER AND MAGNETIC FIELD OF THE MOON
During the mission, the interaction of solar winds with the lunar surface, the formation mechanisms of water on the Moon, magnetic fields and the thermal properties of the surface will be examined. It is planned to measure the radiation environment on the Moon with domestically developed scientific equipment.. Thus, for the first time, Türkiye will carry out a long-term scientific operation beyond the Earth with a spacecraft developed by itself. After the scientific studies are completed, the aim is to remove the Lunar Spacecraft from orbit with controlled maneuvers and deliver it to the Moon’s surface.
9TH COUNTRY TO PERFORM MOON MISSION
According to the statements of the Ministry of Industry and Technology and TUBITAK, when this mission is completed successfully, Türkiye aims to become the ninth country to perform a Moon mission with the spacecraft developed and produced by itself. Minister Kacır also announced that national hybrid rocket technology will be used in deep space for the first time within the scope of the Moon mission.. This experience is expected to create technical knowledge for Türkiye’s future deep space missions.
