(Bloomberg) -- Turkey flew its first astronaut to the International Space Station in a SpaceX capsule, marking a milestone in the country’s nascent space program.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, carrying Turkish astronaut Alper Gezeravci and other crew members from Italy, Spain and Sweden as part of a mission operated by Axiom Space Inc.

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The two-week Ax-3 mission is the third of four planned human spaceflight launches by Axiom, and Gezeravci’s participation cost Turkey around $55 million, Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Fatih Kacir said. It’s a key part of the national project designed to pave Turkey’s entry into a space race traditionally dominated by global powers. Turkey unveiled its space program in 2021, setting a now-defunct target for an unmanned moon mission within the first two years. 

The Turkish space agency and other national research institutions are jointly working on the development of a hybrid rocket and establishing a ground control station for future missions.

Gezeravci, a 44-year-old fighter pilot, will spend as many as 14 days aboard the international station, conducting scientific research, according to a fact sheet on Axiom’s website. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Gezeravci a day before the planned launch, telling him that the flight will serve as “an inspiration for the Turkish youth.”

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