![]() While both the Cold War space race and the current equally-cold US-China space race have mostly been about prestige, industries currently being developed could have massive effects on our future societies. That brings us to the third reason why going to space is important for a country: its potential security implications. President Erdogan noted that by doing so, “ Turkey will end its foreign dependency.” Turkey’s 10-year space program also includes a regional positioning system, controlled by a combination of satellites and ground systems. Today’s geopolitics, tomorrow’s astropolitics? The ability to imagine a better future is crucial to creating a better present. The example of a Middle Eastern and Muslim country using its own technological and engineering capabilities to go to space should be a sign that the region can hope that with time and effort, things may look very different in the future. Compare this with Americans, who have long been known even among other Western countries for having an annoying degree of optimism. Many, quite understandably, can’t imagine a better future. There is something intrinsically frontier-breaking about going to space, it opens up children's minds.ĭue to its recent history, much of the Muslim world, especially the Middle East, is struck with despondency and defeatism. There’s a reason so many children want to be astronauts when they grow up. However, Turkey’s space program looks more promising over the long term due not just to its longer past, but also its emphasis on domestic engineering and building up domestic capacity in phases.Īn even more important reason for a country to go to space is the effect it can have on people’s imaginations. The county even aims to establish a colony on Mars by 2117. The UAE recently joined the US and China as recent countries with probes sent to Mars with its Amal (Hope) probe. Turkey is not the only Muslim country aiming to go to space. This point is an especially relevant one for Turkey due to its focus on not just going to space, but to do so by building up its own indigenous capabilities. One of the first reasons a country should aspire to go to space is the effect it has on spearheading technological advancement.įirefighting equipment, water filtration, the computer mouse, as well as healthcare advances such as artificial limbs, insulin pumps and LASIK eye surgery are all technologies that were originally innovated or further advanced to meet the challenge of life in space. However, Turkey’s drive to space is worth it, and could have profound implications not just for itself, but perhaps the entire region. Why invest all that money to go to space when there’s so much suffering down here? This would seem even more pertinent in a region as conflict-ridden as the Middle East. These huge expenses might seem hard to justify at first. The satellite is expected to come into operation in the latter half of this year. ![]() Just last month Turkey, in cooperation with Elon Musk’s Space-X, launched the Turksat 5A satellite with significant communications and defense implications for the region. ![]() President Erdogan mentioned that over the past 18 years, Turkey has invested 2.1 billion Turkish liras (around $300 million) for 56 projects related to satellites, launching systems, and space equipment. The announcement comes after years of Turkey building up its space capabilities. The second phase would aim for Turkey to have a soft landing (when a spacecraft lands intact on the surface rather than intentionally crashing or “hard landing”) on the moon in 2028, and would also include a scientific research component. ![]() ![]() This landing, part of Turkey’s larger Vision 2023 program to mark the republic’s centennial, is however only the first phase. Turkey recently grabbed headlines as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed a 10-year space program that would see the country send a Turkish citizen to the moon by 2023. ![]()
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