{
  "id": 17405386,
  "title": "From Mecca to the Moon: How Turkey is trying to become a player in space",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/from-mecca-to-the-moon-how-turkey-is-trying-to-become-a-player-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-31T12:28:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/mecca-moon-how-turkey-trying-become-player-space"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Turkey is eyeing a Moon mission for 2027 as part of a broader national space program aimed at gaining technological independence and becoming a key player in space exploration. Mehmet Nefes, head of Tubitak Uzay, the state-backed Space Technologies Research Institute, showcased a satellite photo of Mecca taken by a space camera designed and manufactured in Turkey to commemorate the signing of a Mecca agreement with Saudi Arabia. This success in space photography has fueled Turkey's ambitions to explore the Moon.\n\nThe first phase of the mission, slated for 2027, involves sending a spacecraft into deep space, placing it in lunar orbit for up to 1.5 years, and attempting a controlled landing on the lunar surface. A subsequent phase aims to land softly on the Moon and deploy a rover to conduct surface research. These missions will be launched from Florida aboard a SpaceX rocket.\n\nHowever, reaching the Moon requires overcoming significant engineering challenges, including extreme temperature shifts, intense radiation belts, and communication gaps in deep space. Turkey acknowledges these challenges but emphasizes its goal is not just to reach the Moon but to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and gain control over critical space systems. The lunar probe serves as a testament to Turkey's ambitions to establish technological sovereignty beyond Earth's atmosphere.\n\nTurkey's journey to lunar exploration began two decades ago with the Bilsat satellite, an Earth-observation satellite developed through international cooperation. This laid the groundwork for building ground stations and cleanrooms while developing Turkish-made components. A decade later, Turkey launched its first Earth observation satellite, Rasat, which included domestically designed flight computers and advanced transmitters. This progress led to the establishment of the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) in 2018, which coordinates Turkey's space vision.\n\nFollowing IMECE, Turkey's first high-resolution Earth observation satellite, the country achieved a major milestone with Turksat 6A, its first communications satellite, operating in geostationary orbit (GEO) at 35,786km above the equator. GEO is widely used for telecommunications and broadcasting. By mastering long-distance communications, thermal protection, and autonomous flight software, Turkey has laid the foundation for its upcoming lunar mission.",
  "summary": "From Mecca to the Moon: How Turkey is trying to become a player in space Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Fri, 10/30/2026 - 14:57 As Turkey prepares its 2027 mission to the Moon, Ankara is navigating global rivalries and tapping Somalia’s space heritage to achieve technological independence Mehmet Nefes looked with pride at the aerial photo of Mecca’s Grand Mosque on the wall. Wearing a black polo…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}