By Bosphorus News Türkiye Desk
Türkiye is following its entry into the Artemis Accords with two major milestones already on the calendar: the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya in October and its first lunar mission in 2027.
Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır signed the accords at NASA headquarters in Washington on Aug. 31, making Türkiye the 71st country to join the U.S.-led framework for civil space exploration. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman hosted the ceremony.
The signature does not make Türkiye part of a specific NASA lunar mission. The Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles rooted in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, covering peaceful use, transparency, interoperability, scientific data, emergency assistance and coordination between space activities.
Kacır linked Türkiye's decision to its own lunar program.
Türkiye plans to send a domestically developed spacecraft equipped with a Turkish hybrid rocket engine toward the Moon in the first months of 2027, he said after the Washington ceremony. The spacecraft is expected to collect data from lunar orbit under the country's Lunar Research Program.
NASA referred to the mission as AYAP-1 in its announcement on Türkiye's accession.
The program has been under development for several years, while its timetable has moved beyond the original targets announced under Türkiye's National Space Program. A current Turkish Space Agency performance document schedules completion of the first lunar mission project for 2027.
Program documents say AYAP-1 is designed to enter lunar orbit, collect imagery and scientific data, then attempt a hard landing using its domestically developed hybrid propulsion system.
Scientific preparations were still underway this summer. TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute held the fourth Lunar Scientific Working Group meeting in June with researchers, public institutions and private-sector participants working on the mission's scientific payloads and technologies. TÜBİTAK said the spacecraft is scheduled to begin its journey in 2027.
Antalya Is the Next Test
Before AYAP-1 flies, Türkiye will put its space program before a much larger international audience.
The country will host the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya from Oct. 5 to 9, the first time the event has been held in Türkiye. The Turkish Space Agency is hosting the congress, with SAHA Istanbul Aerospace Cluster as co-host.
The International Astronautical Federation received a record 8,330 abstracts from 108 countries for this year's congress. Türkiye accounted for 1,810 submissions, more than any other country.
NASA itself tied Türkiye's Artemis accession to the Antalya meeting. Its announcement on the Aug. 31 signature pointed to both AYAP-1 and the congress, where dozens of Artemis signatories are expected to gather.
That puts the Washington ceremony inside a much fuller calendar. Türkiye has joined the Artemis framework weeks before hosting one of the space sector's largest annual meetings and as its first lunar spacecraft moves toward a 2027 launch window.
The accords do not provide Türkiye with a launch vehicle, guarantee NASA participation in AYAP-1 or turn the Turkish mission into an Artemis mission. They establish a common set of principles with other participating governments as Türkiye prepares to put its own lunar program into flight.
Sources: Türkiye's Ministry of Industry and Technology, NASA, Turkish Space Agency, TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute, International Astronautical Federation, Bosphorus News review and reporting.