Turkish businessman to travel to space with Blue Origin

ISTANBUL

A Turkish businessman is preparing to travel to space aboard U.S.-based space technology company Blue Origin’s New Shepard on a privately arranged flight, becoming the first from the country’s business world to embark on such a journey.

Gökhan Erdem, a board member of Erdem Holding, will join the 14th crewed mission of the autonomous suborbital rocket system developed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The flight is scheduled for August from the company’s launch site in Van Horn, Texas.

Erdem’s upcoming flight with Blue Origin will make him the first Turkish national to fly with the U.S.-based company and the third from the country to ever fly to space.

He will join five other passengers on the New Shepard capsule, which will cross the Karman line, recognized internationally as the boundary of space at 100 kilometers altitude, offering a few minutes of weightlessness and a view of Earth from space.

The flight suit Erdem will wear has been custom-designed to feature iconic symbols of Istanbul, including the Galata Tower and Bosphorus Bridge, aiming to reflect Türkiye's cultural heritage and its bridging role between continents.

“This idea that space is not just a place, but a future, excites me deeply,” Erdem said, noting that his long-time fascination with space was reignited by Türkiye’s recent astronaut missions.

This mission follows Türkiye’s two government-backed spaceflights under the country’s official space program.

In January last year, Alper Gezeravcı became the first Turkish astronaut to fly to space aboard a SpaceX mission, while Tuva Cihangir Atasever completed a suborbital research flight in June 2024 with Virgin Galactic.

Erdem will perform a suborbital flight, similar to Atasever's mission.

With this flight, Erdem will personally support Türkiye's vision and mission in space, with the goal of strengthening the country's presence in space not only through public projects, but also through entrepreneurship, innovation and individual participation.