Turkey's space adventure officially started with the Ax-3 mission in which Alper Gezeravcı took part. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying SpaceX's Dragon capsule was successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, at 16.49 (00.49 Turkish lira). With this historical moment, the space journey of Gezeravcı and the Ax-3 team began with the launch from the US space base. The Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Dragon capsule to the International Space Station (ISS). This giant rocket, 70 meters long and weighing 550 tons, can carry various payloads from low Earth orbit to Mars. After the launch, it successfully landed on Earth. After the Dragon capsule set out to reach the ISS, it separated from the Falcon 9 rocket and continued on its way. Its scheduled arrival at the ISS will take place around 05.15 (13.15 CET) on Saturday morning. It will take approximately 36 hours for space travelers to reach the ISS. SpaceX shares current information about the Ax-3 mission at "https://www.spacex.com/follow-dragon". In addition, every moment of the space mission, broadcast live on SpaceX's website, was watched by 1.3 million people in 2.5 hours.
The Ax-3 mission attracts attention not only from Turkey, but also from space explorers such as mission leader Michael Lopez-Alegria representing the USA and Spain, Pilot Walter Villadei from the Italian Air Force, and Swedish Marcus Wandt participating on behalf of the European Space Agency. Space traveler Gezeravcı will work in 13 different scientific experiments for 14 days on the ISS. These experiments include topics such as microgravity, human health in space, plant research, and the study of solid-fluid mixtures. Other members of the Ax-3 mission will also take part in designated projects on the ISS. The team, which will share their feelings and thoughts via a live connection from space, will return to Earth in the same Dragon capsule after 14 days. The first message of Turkey's first space traveler Gezeravcı in space was "The future is in the skies." Gezeravcı's space adventure, which will attract attention with its scientific experiments, adds a new dimension to Turkey's success in the aviation and space sector.
