Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan engaged in a video call with Türkiye's first space traveler Alper Gezeravcı after the astronaut commenced his mission following SpaceX's successful docking of the Dragon spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS).
The Turkish leader has displayed a keen interest in the mission, which he had called "historic," Anadolu reported.
"Our first manned space mission being scientific is highly valuable. Turkish scientists will contribute to significant studies that will enrich the scientific literature. I hope for the successful completion of the experiments you will carry out in various fields there," Erdogan said.
During the call, Gezeravcı expressed his enthusiasm, stating he is happy to represent Türkiye on the International Space Station.
The Axiom-3 crew, launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 19, successfully docked with the ISS on Jan. 20. Gezeravcı and his fellow crew members were welcomed by the seven astronauts and cosmonauts who began their space mission on Sept. 27 last year.
