Turkey is building a spaceport in Somalia
Believe it or not, the president is planning a moonshot
Alper Gezeravci’s first message from space was a patriotic one. “The future is in the skies,” he said from a Falcon 9 rocket on its 14-day mission in January 2024. The line is one of many attributed to Kemal Ataturk, Turkey’s founder, and Mr Gezeravci, Turkey’s first astronaut, is the poster boy for the space ambitions of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current leader. The Turkish Space Agency was founded in 2018, and in 2021 the president announced a ten-year plan for space, including home-made satellites and a moon landing. Mr Gezeravci campaigned alongside Mr Erdogan’s AK Party after returning to Earth.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Per Erdogan ad astra”
From the February 8th 2025 edition
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The dangerous tension in Europe’s response to Trump
By trying to stop the rift, Europe may hasten it
Can Friedrich Merz get Europe out of its funk?
A new Merz-mentum could reboot the Franco-German motor at the heart of the EU
Can Europe keep Ukraine in the fight if America really has bailed?
Investing in Ukraine’s own weapons industry will be the best bet
As Trump suspends military aid, what are the chokeholds on Ukraine?
The war-torn country can substitute some—but nothing like all—of the kit it gets from America
Europe vows to defend Ukraine, but prays for Trump’s support
A summit in London is stalked by the fear America will walk away