First Turkish astronaut in space: Alper Gezeravcı arrives at ISS

In a historic moment, Türkiye’s first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı, has embarked on the nation’s first manned space mission, joining the International Space Station (ISS) alongside three fellow astronauts. He is now called the first Turkish astronaut in space.

The crew, successfully arriving aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule as part of the Axiom-3 (Ax-3) mission, marks a significant milestone for Türkiye’s space exploration endeavors. Ax-3 also represents the first private all-European mission to the ISS.

The existing ISS Expedition 70 crew extended a warm welcome to the newly arrived astronauts, who are scheduled to spend 14 days aboard the space station.

Growing partnerships on a global scale in space

The European Space Agency (ESA) collaborates with Axiom Space, sending one of its astronauts, Marcus Wandt, on a private flight for the first time. The mission, facilitated by SpaceX, underscores the growing international collaboration in space exploration. Two other astronauts who arrived at the ISS are the mission commander Michael López-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut who now works for Axiom, and Walter Villadei of the Italian Air Force.

The Axiom-3 mission, led by European astronauts, is set to conduct over 30 diverse experiments during their orbital tenure. With experiments hailing from Italy, Türkiye, Sweden, and the European Space Agency, the crew’s research will contribute valuable data to the study of human physiology in space.

The Ax-3 crew. Axiom Space photo

Upcoming departures from the ISS

In the upcoming weeks, transitions are underway on the ISS. The Axiom-3 crew is scheduled to depart on February 3, returning to Earth in the Dragon spacecraft. In addition, four members of the current Expedition 70 crew, including astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov, are set to depart on February 13.