Turkey will be the first country to send two exploration vehicles to the south pole of the Moon at the same time.

01.06.2025 18:24

Turkey aims to become the first country to send two exploration vehicles to the Moon's south pole simultaneously. Under the collaboration with China led by METU, two rovers named 'CHERI' will be developed to create a three-dimensional map of the Moon's south pole. It has been stated that the names of the exploration robots to be sent to the Moon were inspired by the Janissary soldiers from the Ottoman Empire.

Middle East Technical University (METU) has collaborated internationally with the China National Space Administration (CNSA), Zhejiang University, and STAR. VISION as part of the Chang'e-8 mission. The mission encompasses China's exploration of the Moon's south pole and the country's plans to determine where to build the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in the 2030s.

TURKEY WILL BE THE FIRST COUNTRY TO SEND TWO EXPLORATION VEHICLES TO THE MOON AT THE SAME TIME

In this context, two micro-exploration vehicles developed under the project named "CHERI" by researchers at the METU Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Technologies Research and Application Center (ROMER) will interactively collect scientific data, perform analyses, and autonomously determine their own routes with the support of artificial intelligence, creating three-dimensional maps on the Moon's south pole.

The vehicles, which are planned to weigh approximately 5 kilograms, are expected to be sent to the Moon's south pole by the end of 2028. Thus, Turkey will become the 6th country to send an exploration vehicle to the Moon's south pole and the first country to send two exploration vehicles at the same time.

"WE ALSO HAVE IDEAS LIKE USING MOON SOIL TO BUILD STRUCTURES THERE"

In statements regarding the prototypes of the vehicles and the ongoing studies, METU ROMER Deputy Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Mert Ankaralı stated that the center was established in 2019 and that they conduct research and development activities in almost every field of robotics. Expressing that it is exciting to bring the project to life, Ankaralı emphasized that they are seriously working on the subject.

Ankaralı mentioned that they had the opportunity to go to the Moon's south pole at the "Space Day" event held in China this year, stating, "Our two robots will be there for the first time as part of these space missions. They will carry out exploration missions on the Moon. We believe that they will conduct different studies supported by artificial intelligence and provide significant contributions to our country in scientific and technological terms."

Emphasizing that this project is just the beginning but an important step for the country, Ankaralı said, "We believe we will reach better points. We have many different ideas, such as sending larger robots to Mars, asteroids, or space, taking samples and bringing them back to Earth for examination, or using Moon soil to build structures with 3D printers."

INSPIRATION FROM JANISSARIES

METU Aerospace Engineering Department Faculty Member and project leader Assoc. Prof. Dr. Halil Ersin Söken explained that they named the two exploration robots to be sent to the Moon "CHERI," inspired by the janissary soldiers of the Ottoman Empire.

Emphasizing that this will be the first space mission where the two robots will work interactively on the Moon, Söken noted: "Currently, there is a private company named STAR. VISION with which we are collaborating in China. This company produces processors with artificial intelligence computing capabilities primarily for satellites in space and has already applied and tested them on satellites. We will have the opportunity to apply this on the Moon's surface with our rovers. Both of our robots will actually be equipped with artificial intelligence technology and AI-supported processors. This way, they will collaborate to achieve three-dimensional mapping of the Moon's surface."

"THERE HAS BEEN NO ROVER THAT CAN PROGRESS IN THE MOON'S SOUTH POLE SO FAR"

Pointing out that the region targeted for landing on the Moon's south pole has challenging terrain conditions, Söken stated: "The Moon's south pole is actually a very interesting point. NASA has suspected the presence of water in the form of ice here with a spacecraft in orbit. However, due to its highly cratered structure and challenging illumination conditions, sending a rover here is quite difficult, let alone operating, using, and advancing the rover.

In this sense, we aim to achieve one of the firsts. So far, there has been no rover that can progress in the Moon's south pole. We do not know if there will be other vehicles that achieve this by 2028; we aim to be the first country to operate a rover on the Moon's south pole and successfully accomplish this. There may be other countries sending different vehicles until this year, but currently, there are 5 countries that can send a rover to the Moon. We plan to successfully carry out this mission and become the 6th country. Alongside this, we aim to be the first country to operate two rovers on the Moon's surface at the same time."

"IT WILL PROVIDE GREAT DATA FOR UNDERSTANDING THE MOON'S GEOGRAPHY"

Söken stated that the vehicles currently orbiting the Moon are trying to create three-dimensional maps using different scientific methods, and that there is no three-dimensional study conducted in the same plane as the Moon's landforms. "Our rovers will have the capability to capture images from two different points and from different perspectives. Our rovers will be the first to achieve this. This will provide us with significant data for understanding the Moon's geography in scientific terms," he shared.

Emphasizing that the future of space research is bright, Söken said, "We have started to discuss different topics such as establishing life stations on Mars or asteroid mining. After proving ourselves with such a mission, I believe that our prospects for collaboration with both national and international stakeholders will be much clearer."```html

He made an assessment.

"THE POINT TURKEY HAS REACHED HAS ALSO ATTRACTED THEIR ATTENTION"

METU Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil stated that the project is being realized through international cooperation, and that the two vehicles will conduct research on mapping, navigation, and image acquisition on the Moon's surface.

Explaining that the two robots communicate with each other and are supported by artificial intelligence, Yozgatlıgil provided the following information: "The fact that two robots will operate together on the Moon's south pole is actually a first in the world. The south pole is a place where the temperature difference between day and night is very high, and we will carry out these tasks under challenging conditions. The point Turkey has reached, the technologies it has developed and possesses have also attracted their attention, and in this context, they accepted us into their Chang'e-8 mission."

Emphasizing that CHERI is a project carried out by METU in collaboration with students and faculty members across campuses, Yozgatlıgil stated that TÜBİTAK UZAY has provided significant support for the project. He mentioned that they will collaborate with many companies in the industry, saying, "Thanks to this project, we will establish Turkey's presence on the Moon's surface by 2028. We have goals related to the Moon within our National Space Program. Our first goal is a soft landing on the Moon, and work in this area is progressing very well. In this context, we will actually be supporting Turkey's National Space Program as METU. This excites us a lot."

"WE ARE CONDUCTING RESEARCH RELATED TO INTERPLANETARY COMMUNICATION"

Prof. Dr. Yozgatlıgil pointed out that there are many projects being carried out under the leadership of METU, stating the following: "There are currently ongoing international projects that we have proposed. For example, interplanetary communication. While 5G, 6G, and beyond are being discussed today, we are also conducting research related to interplanetary communication in our Solar System. Additionally, our project related to space involves researching the existence of life and its resources in environments similar to those on Jupiter, located 2,500 meters deep in the Pacific. Many such projects are ongoing, new ones will be added, and we will carry out very important projects related to space. There is a plan to establish a technology development zone specialized in space within Turkey's National Space Program in collaboration with METU, and our Minister of Industry and Technology made a statement about this recently. METU will establish a technology development zone in the field of space, and many of our companies and universities will conduct research in this area.