Alper Gezeravcı is returning to Earth! Preparations have begun

Preparations have begun for the return journey of Turkey's first astronaut Alper Gezeravcı to Earth, which will take approximately 48 hours.

The Ax-3 crew, which includes Gezeravcı, is expected to depart from the International Space Station today at 17:20 TSI.

During the journey, the Dragon capsule carrying the crew is expected to perform multiple orbital lowering maneuvers and reach Earth off the coast of Florida after approximately 48 hours.

Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated in a post on his social media account, "The hatch of the Dragon capsule carrying the Ax-3 team, which includes our astronaut Alper Gezeravcı, has been closed."

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which carried the Ax-3 crew, including Gezeravcı, to the ISS in the Crew Dragon spacecraft belonging to the SpaceX company, was launched on January 19 at 00:49 TSI from launch complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 4-person crew consisting of Gezeravcı, Michael Lopez-Alegria, Walter Villadei, and Marcus Wandt reached the ISS on January 20. Gezeravcı conducted 13 scientific experiments on the ISS, where 7 astronauts were present.

While the first date planned for the return was set as February 3, the departure of the team from the ISS had been postponed 3 times due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Axiom Space has begun a live broadcast of the Dragon capsule's departure from the ISS. The broadcast can be watched live with simultaneous translation on the social media accounts of Anadolu Agency (AA), the Ministry of Industry and Technology, and the Turkish Space Agency (TUA).

The Ax-3 team, which includes Turkey's first astronaut Alper Gezeravcı, has begun preparations for their return journey to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS).

News Source : AA