The first Turk to go to space was announced by President Erdoğan at Teknofest 2023. 

Earlier this year, Turkey’s Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank announced that candidates for the first Turk to go to space had been determined, and that one of them was a military pilot, but did not disclose any names. During his visit to the ongoing Teknofest event at Istanbul Atatürk Airport, President Erdoğan announced that Turkey’s first space traveler would be Alper Gezeravcı.

First Turk to go to space: Alper Gezeravcı

In his speech at Teknofest, President Erdoğan said the following about the country’s first space travelers;

“We have determined our two space travelers. We thank the thousands of citizens who applied.

The meeting of our space traveler with space is planned for the last quarter of 2023. It’s time to get to know our space travelers. Alper Gezeravcı, our brother, is a heroic Turkish pilot who has achieved significant successes in the Air Force.

He will stay at the International Space Station for 14 days. The backup name is Tuva Cihangir Atasever. The backup name is Tuva Cihangir Atasever.

Our space traveler will conduct 13 different experiments prepared by our country’s valuable universities and research institutions during this mission.”

Who is Alper Gezeravcı?

Born in Mersin on December 2, 1979, Alper Gezeravcı is an F-16 pilot who has served in the Air Force Command for 21 years.

Gezeravcı, who graduated from the Air War College as an Electronics Engineer, completed his master’s degree in the Operations Research department at the US Air Force Institute of Technology.