Turkish Space Agency: “We must act as humanity, not nations in space”

Turkey’s space agency is collaborating with seven countries on several projects, the head of the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) said, also noting: “We should act as humanity, not nations” regarding space-related issues.

TUA head Serdar Hüseyin Yıldırım said the proper implementation of Turkey’s National Space Program (NSP) “would benefit not just Turkey but also neighboring countries and regions.”

“These benefits include creating global partnerships by sharing challenging and peaceful goals; inspiring society and especially the younger generations through collective and individual efforts; and enabling economic expansion and new business opportunities,” Yıldırım told Anadolu Agency (AA) in an exclusive interview to mark the third anniversary of the establishment of TUA.

Yıldırım said TUA’s goal is to strengthen relationships with international partners, work together to solve humanity’s greatest challenges, forge new bilateral partnerships and expand existing ones.

The TUA has signed several agreements with official institutions in Azerbaijan, Hungary, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Japan and Mexico, related to space, said Yıldırım, adding that talks with the U.S., Russian and Chinese institutions continue.

“The TUA is also in New Space, a new arena in space. We are in close contact with private companies. We are in talks with many organizations such as Space X, Airbus and Thales Alenia,” he said.

“Improving our bilateral relations will give us the chance to participate and contribute to some of the world’s most important commercial and scientific endeavors together with the dynamic and emerging space economies,” he added.