At TÜBİTAK's 26th Sky Observation Event, Türkiye's first astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı and Türkiye's second astronaut, Tuva Cihangir Atasever, met with sky enthusiasts.

The event, held at Uludağ in Bursa and continuing until August 11, featured activities on its second day.

Alper Gezeravcı, who met with sky enthusiasts, spoke about his significant contributions to the field.

Describing his experiences in space and the work done, Gezeravcı said:

"As the Republic of Türkiye, we became the 22nd country capable of sending its own people to space and conducting scientific research in space among the 193 countries registered with the United Nations. This is not a statistic to be overlooked. By doing the same things that the previous 21 countries did, we were able to learn the same lessons."

He added: "Thanks to our country's brilliant scientists, we have had the opportunity to conduct unique and highly notable experiments in the history of space. I am grateful to our scientists. There are 8.5 billion people in the world today. Despite billions of steps taken every day, the most valuable step in a parent's life is the first step taken by their child. This is the first step of a Turkish child in space."

Tuva Cihangir Atasever spoke about the valuable goals of the National Space Program.

He stated their plan to reach the Moon twice with one hard and one soft landing and mentioned: "We plan to build a spaceport. We will take steps to develop the space ecosystem."

Atasever highlighted the significant growth of the space ecosystem, saying:

"A study published in 2020 indicated that the space industry could reach a size of $440 billion by 2024. The actual size of the space industry has already surpassed this figure. There is a space ecosystem growing beyond expectations. In the coming years, this ecosystem will reach a value of trillions of dollars."

"Due to various commercialization trends, costs are decreasing, investment in space companies is increasing and expertise is developing. Commercial space will be a crucial value-added area for our country in the coming years."

"This is why we are progressing and developing our national space program, so that Türkiye can receive its deserved share of the resulting value. We aim to create a prosperous living environment and country for our youth and the entire nation and build a Turkish century," he said.