Turkey signed the Nasa-led Artemis Accords on Monday, becoming the seventh country from the Middle East to do so.
Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir took part in a signing ceremony at Nasa’s Washington headquarters to solidify the country's participation in the coalition dedicated to peaceful and transparent space exploration.
Mr Kacir said he looks forward to Nasa officials visiting Turkey to see the country's enthusiasm for science and space.
"Turkey enters this era of space travel with incredible ambitions and capabilities," he said. "Our aim is to establish a sustainable presence in space and advance the peaceful use of space for the benefit of all humanity."
Mr Kacir said US President Donald Trump's visit to Turkey during the Nato summit in July bolstered plans for both countries to co-operate on space projects.
Nasa administrator Jared Isaacman highlighted the significance of Turkey signing the accords.
"Today marks an important milestone. Turkey brings a bold vision to this," he said, adding that both Ankara and the US share a vision to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon.
Turkey joins the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan and Israel on the list of Artemis Accords signatory nations in the Middle East. The accords were announced by Nasa in 2020 during Mr Trump's first term in office.
Participating countries are expected to commit to peaceful space endeavours while also being transparent with the aims of their various missions. They are expected to help other space programmes and, if needed, aid astronauts from participating countries in emergency situations.
The registration of space objects to help blunt the dangers of space junk and the commitment to making all scientific findings related to space public are also priorities of the accords.
In 2024, Turkey's first astronaut, Alper Gezeravci, made the journey to at the International Space Station on board a SpaceX rocket, marking a milestone in the country’s relatively young but ambitious space programme.
Mr Gezeravci spent 18 days on the orbiting laboratory before returning to Earth.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated his country on the achievement.
"May God open our path and our fortune,” he posted on X at the time of the successful journey.
Turkey will be the host of this year's International Astronautical Congress in the autumn.
Some experts have described the Artemis Accords as a way for the US to counter the influence of Russia and China's space programmes.
Several years ago, Russian officials criticised the Artemis Accords, calling the Nasa-led coalition "too US-centric".
China has sought to create its own coalition through the International Lunar Research Station as it makes strides in its pursuit of exploring the Moon.
