Middle East Technical University announced one of our country’s largest international collaborations in space. According to the statement, Turkey will send two spacecraft to the South Pole of the Moon in 2028 as part of China’s Chang’e 8 mission.

Turkey is officially going to the Moon

With this historic mission, Turkey will become the sixth country to send a rover to the Moon and will become the first country to land on the South Pole. China aims to explore the South Pole of the Moon and collect critical data for the International Lunar Research Station to be established in the future with the Chang’e 8 mission.

In this context, countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, South Africa and Egypt have joined the Chang’e 8 mission. As part of the mission, two micro rovers will land on the Moon’s surface. While one robot lands on the ground, the other will record video.

These micro rovers, named CHERI, will weigh approximately 5 kilograms. The AI-supported robots will autonomously determine their own routes, perform 3D mapping and give directions to each other.

As part of the mission, Turkey will be the first country to send two rovers to the Moon at the same time. It will also go down in history as the first country to land a rover on the South Pole of the Moon. In his statement, ODTÜ Rector Ahmet Yozgatlıgil stated that Turkey continues to produce original information and develop critical technologies in line with the goals of the National Space Program.

The main goal of the Chang’e 8 mission is to land on the Mons Mouton plateau located at the South Pole of the Moon. This region is of great importance in terms of containing permanent dark areas and water ice.

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