The Turkish astronaut that will be sent on a scientific mission in space will be ready by the end of the year and will embark on the journey as early as the first half of 2023, the head of the country’s space agency said on Thursday.

The mission is a part of Turkey’s ambitious 10-year space road map, unveiled a year ago, which also includes missions to the moon and developing internationally viable satellite systems.

Turkey plans to achieve first contact with the moon in 2023 when the country marks the centennial of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. The program also envisages working with other countries on building a spaceport and creating a global brand in satellite technology.

The training of the citizen that will be selected for the scientific mission will last around four to six months, Turkey Space Agency (TUA) head Serdar Hüseyin Yıldırım told Anadolu Agency (AA).

"We anticipate that the selection process will take about two to three months. By the end of the year, our astronaut will be ready and will go into space next year," Yıldırım said.

"The astronaut we are going to send to space is going on a scientific mission. Hopefully, we will soon begin the process of selecting the astronaut candidates. We are in the final stages of this process."

Two people will be selected and there will be pre-selection, followed by eliminations according to different criteria, he noted. "The two selected people will go and receive training at the relevant institution."

At the end of the training, the most successful candidate will travel to the space station and stay there for a week or 10 days, conduct experiments and return, Yıldırım explained.

Regarding the time frame, Yıldırım said it will be "in the first half of 2023. That is, we can say in a year from today."

Turkey established the TUA in 2018 with the aim of joining a handful of other countries with space programs.

Yıldırım said the final design of the crewless spacecraft that will be used in the moon mission will be completed by June.

"The preliminary design had already been done. Now the final design is also almost finished, and then manufacturing will begin," he noted.

The craft will not be completely indigenous but will still be manufactured at a 70% indigenousness rate, according to Yıldırım.

"There are a few parts that we depend on from abroad. If we do not encounter any problems with their delivery, we plan to have it ready by the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024."

The engine of the spacecraft is being manufactured through 100% local means, said Yıldırım.

In July last year, Turkey successfully completed the flight tests of a probe rocket system that will be used in the crewless spacecraft.

Developed with hybrid engine technology, the Probe Rocket System (SORS) was launched by Delta V, a state-backed research firm that has a leading role in the national space program.

The first firing test of the hybrid rocket engine, expected to be used in the moon mission, and a vertical firing test of the thrust system of the SORS were also performed last year.

"Our domestic engine is the crucial part of the craft. In other words, our engine, which will give the thrust that will take it to the moon, is a rocket engine developed by Delta V and is 100% domestic," Yıldırım said.

"The recent tests have been very successful. It’s being turned into a space engine. Of course, there is still a process for this. It will be tested in different ways."

Turkey’s mission to the moon will be completed in two stages, according to the program.

The first launch into orbit will be made with international cooperation, after which the hybrid engine manufactured by Delta V will take the Turkish spacecraft to the moon’s surface.

In the second stage in 2028, according to the road map, the country will launch its own rockets into space in the same way it did the probe.