Sixty-five students and twelve teachers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Türkiye, Uzbekistan and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus completed the 4th TUA Space Explorers Türkiye Space Camp Program, held from 23 to 29 August 2026 at ESBAŞ Space Camp Türkiye in İzmir.

The week-long programme, organized by the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) in partnership with ESBAŞ and Space Camp Türkiye, immersed participants in space science and technology education. Addressing the certificate ceremony, OTS Secretary General Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev commended the organizers for supporting scientific cooperation among the youth of the Turkic world and encouraged the students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and space exploration, describing them as potential future leaders of the region's development.

The Secretary General invoked the Turkic world's rich astronomical and scientific heritage and pointed to the Joint Cube Satellite Project – the 12U OTS-SAT, developed jointly by the space agencies of the Turkic states – as proof of what the region can achieve in advanced technologies through collaboration.

Programmes such as the Space Explorers camp form the early links of a talent chain that runs directly into higher education: the students introduced to space science in İzmir are the future applicants to the engineering, physics and computer science faculties of the region's universities. For TURKUNIB member universities, the expanding STEM youth agenda of the Turkic states – space camps, academies and competitions – both reflects and feeds the growing scientific ambition of the region they serve.

Photo: Organization of Turkic States (turkicstates.org)

Photo: Organization of Turkic States (turkicstates.org)

Photo: Organization of Turkic States (turkicstates.org)

Based on official OTS reporting: OTS Secretary General addressed the 4th TUA Space Explorers Türkiye Space Camp Program in İzmir