News Mash-up: Space

Turkey aims to reach moon in 2023: Erdogan Turkey aims to achieve first contact with the moon as part of its national space program in 2023, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Feb. 9. “The first rough landing will be made on the moon with our national and authentic hybrid rocket that shall be launched into orbit in the end of 2023 through international cooperation,” Erdogan said, detailing a two-phase mission. Speaking in an event in Ankara, Erdogan announced a program with 10 strategic goals, including sending a Turkish citizen to a scientific mission in space. In January, Turkey launched its Turksat 5A satellite into orbit from the United States in cooperation with SpaceX. (Reuters) Astronomers discover nearby ‘super-Earth’ Scientists have spotted a planet orbiting a star relatively near our solar system that may offer a prime opportunity to study the atmosphere of a rocky Earth-like alien world — the type of research that could aid the hunt for extraterrestrial life. The researchers said on March 4 the planet, called Gliese 486 b and classified as a “super-Earth,” is not itself a promising candidate as a refuge for life. But its proximity to Earth and its physical traits make it well suited for a study of its atmosphere using the next generation of space-borne and ground-based telescopes, starting with the James Webb Space Telescope that NASA has slated for an October launch. (Reuters) These articles were provided by The Japan Times Alpha.