ANKARA, February 9. /TASS/. Turkey is planning to launch a rocket into space to reach the Moon by 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday as he presented the national space program.

According to him, the Moon landing should be carried out by late 2023 when the country will celebrate 100 years since it was founded. "I believe that Turkish engineers will complete the mission," the leader stressed.

Moreover, Erdogan said that Ankara seeks to construct a cosmodrome with international participation for the country to "get access to space."

In late May 2018, Azerbaijan’s Trend News Agency cited its sources in the Turkish cabinet to report that Ankara is planning to launch its own astronaut training program after 2023 and is willing to earmark $6 billion to this end. The legislative basis was already laid down in autumn 2016. If implemented, this will be one of the largest and most ambitious projects in modern Turkey.