Türkiye Hails Its First Astronaut Who Returned From a 3-Week Mission to International Space Station 

Axiom-3 mission specialist Alper Gezeravci, of Türkiye, waves to family members as he arrives, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for this afternoons launch to the International Space Station. (AP)
Axiom-3 mission specialist Alper Gezeravci, of Türkiye, waves to family members as he arrives, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for this afternoons launch to the International Space Station. (AP)
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Türkiye Hails Its First Astronaut Who Returned From a 3-Week Mission to International Space Station 

Axiom-3 mission specialist Alper Gezeravci, of Türkiye, waves to family members as he arrives, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for this afternoons launch to the International Space Station. (AP)
Axiom-3 mission specialist Alper Gezeravci, of Türkiye, waves to family members as he arrives, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for this afternoons launch to the International Space Station. (AP)

Türkiye’s first astronaut returned home to a hero’s welcome Monday, portrayed as a symbol of the country’s advances in technology and aerospace.

Alper Gezeravci was greeted by bouquet-laden children at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport as he returned from a private three-week mission to the International Space Station. In return, he handed out Turkish flags he had carried with him into space.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has closely followed Gezeravci’s mission, declaring it a “new symbol of a growing, stronger and assertive Türkiye,” after the country marked its centenary last year.

Erdogan has spoken several times to Gezeravci, a 44-year-old former Turkish fighter pilot, since he left for Florida to prepare for the mission.

His space flight, for which Türkiye paid roughly $55 million, was the third such journey organized by Houston-based Axiom Space with NASA and SpaceX.

The expedition is seen in Türkiye as a source of national pride and a highlight of its technological advancement, especially in the field of aerospace and military development such as aerial drones.

Addressing journalists at Esenboga in front of a backdrop proclaiming “Türkiye’s First Manned Space Mission,” Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said the mission was “a first, but it will not be the last. A new page has been opened in space science and technologies for Türkiye.”

Türkiye established its own space agency in 2018, and said it will land on the moon by 2026.

Gezeravci was joined on the trip by Italian air force Col. Walter Villadei and Sweden’s Marcus Wandt, a former fighter pilot. They were escorted by retired NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, who now works for Axiom Space.

The crew returned in a SpaceX capsule that parachuted into the Atlantic off the Florida coast on Friday.

While in orbit, the astronauts conducted science experiments and chatted with schoolchildren and officials from their countries. They enjoyed a few extra days at the space station, waiting for the weather to improve in the splashdown zone.



Australian Hiker Found Alive after Surviving for Two Weeks on Berries and Muesli Bars

A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Australian Hiker Found Alive after Surviving for Two Weeks on Berries and Muesli Bars

A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
A general view of Cooma Hospital where hiker Hadi Nazari was transferred to for a health check in Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

An Australian student missing for two weeks near the country's tallest mountain was found on Wednesday, after surviving by foraging for berries, drinking water from a creek and finding two muesli bars left behind by other hikers, police said.

Hadi Nazari, a 23-year-old university student from Melbourne, went missing from his group of friends on December 26 in the Kosciuszko National Park.

Nazari was found on Wednesday afternoon by a group of hikers who alerted the authorities, police in the state of New South Wales said.

“This is the fourteenth day we've been looking for him and for him to come out and be in such good spirits and in such great condition, it’s incredible," NSW Police Inspector Josh Broadfoot said.

The student was in "really good spirits" with no significant injuries, he added.

More than 300 people had searched for Nazari across rugged bushland, police said. The national park is home to the 2,228 meter (7,310 foot) Mount Kosciuszko.