METU formally joined the Alliance through a memorandum of understanding signed with Axiom Space during SAHA 2026 International Defence, Aerospace and Space Industry Exhibition, held at the Istanbul Expo Centre from 5 to 9 May 2026. The agreement marks an important step in METU’s growing engagement with international space research and creates new opportunities for its researchers, students, and laboratories to participate in collaborative scientific activities conducted in space-based environments.
The Axiom Space University Alliance brings together a global community of researchers, engineers, and students committed to advancing microgravity science, technology development, and commercial innovation in low-Earth orbit. As of May 2026, the Alliance comprised 26 institutions from 12 countries across four continents, including leading universities and research organisations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, South Korea, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Taiwan, New Zealand, Uzbekistan, and Türkiye. METU became the Alliance’s first member from Türkiye.
Through the Alliance, participating institutions contribute to the identification of future research priorities, take part in international scientific initiatives, and collaborate on the opportunities and challenges associated with orbital research. The network also aims to strengthen the voice of the international academic community during the transition from government-led space stations to a new era of commercially operated orbital research infrastructure.
METU is expected to contribute to future space-based research in areas where the University has substantial scientific and technological expertise, including materials science, energy technologies, biotechnology, robotics, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and autonomous systems. Microgravity environments offer researchers a unique platform for studying physical, chemical, and biological phenomena under conditions that cannot be fully reproduced on Earth.
In materials science, for example, microgravity research can provide new insights into solidification, phase formation, fluid behaviour, crystal growth, and the processing of advanced alloys and functional materials. In biotechnology and life sciences, it can support studies on cellular behaviour, biological adaptation, tissue development, and the effects of reduced gravity on living systems. Research in robotics and autonomous technologies may also contribute to the development of systems designed to operate safely and reliably in orbital and planetary environments.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, METU President Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil underlined the significance of Axiom Space as one of the principal partners in Türkiye’s first crewed space mission. He also recalled that METU had contributed to the mission through a scientific experiment conducted in space. Prof. Dr. Yozgatlıgil noted that space research is already one of METU’s active areas of study and stated that the collaboration with Axiom Space would enable the University to pursue new research opportunities in microgravity.
METU’s participation in Türkiye’s first crewed space mission had already demonstrated the University’s capacity to develop scientific experiments suitable for orbital conditions. Joining the Axiom Space University Alliance is expected to build upon this experience by creating a more sustained framework for international cooperation, experimental development, researcher mobility, and access to space-based research platforms.
The collaboration may also generate new opportunities for graduate students and early-career researchers. By participating in international working groups and joint research programmes, students will be able to engage with interdisciplinary scientific questions that combine engineering, basic sciences, data analysis, and space operations. Such activities are expected to contribute not only to research output but also to the development of specialised human capital in Türkiye’s emerging space ecosystem.
The Alliance plans to establish working groups that will examine research opportunities, technical barriers, funding mechanisms, policy requirements, and commercial applications related to microgravity research. The resulting recommendations are intended to inform universities, research funders, policymakers, and industry partners as low-Earth orbit develops into a broader environment for international science and innovation.
Axiom Space has previously supported the delivery of hundreds of scientific payloads to the International Space Station and is developing the planned Axiom Station as a successor platform for research, technology development, and commercial activity in orbit. Through its participation in the Alliance, METU will be positioned to contribute to the international research community shaping this next phase of orbital science.
METU’s accession to the Axiom Space University Alliance reflects the University’s strategic commitment to advanced research, global partnerships, and frontier technologies. It also strengthens METU’s role in Türkiye’s expanding space programme by connecting its multidisciplinary research capacity with an international network dedicated to ensuring that microgravity research produces scientific, technological, and societal benefits on Earth.
The agreement therefore represents more than institutional membership in an international network. It opens a pathway for METU researchers and students to participate in the future of orbital science, contribute to emerging space technologies, and develop solutions relevant both to human activity beyond Earth and to major challenges facing society on the planet.
