Turkish President Erdoğan Views CHERI Lunar Robot Prototype

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was presented with a prototype of the CHERI Lunar Robot, jointly developed by STAR.VISION and Türkiye’s Middle East Technical University (METU), during the opening ceremony of the new academic year. Erol Özvar, President of Türkiye’s Council of Higher Education (YÖK), introduced the prototype to the President.​

The moment brought the China–Türkiye lunar robotics collaboration into the national spotlight and drew renewed international attention to the CHERI project.​

A World First: Two Lunar Robots Working Together on the Moon

The CHERI project aims to deploy two autonomous micro-rovers to the lunar south pole, representing a new approach to lunar exploration.​

Unlike conventional missions that rely on a single rover, CHERI is designed around two robots that will operate collaboratively on the lunar surface. They will exchange environmental observations and mission plans in real time, coordinate their movements, and assist one another when potential risks arise. The project aims to demonstrate a new level of cooperation between robotic explorers on the Moon.​

Prototype Completed, Testing Underway, Lunar Mission Targeted for 2030

During the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026) in Antalya, Türkiye, Ahmet Yozgatlıgil, President of METU, confirmed that the CHERI lunar robot prototype had been completed and was undergoing testing.​

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, he said: “Our two CHERI lunar rovers will work together and even take a ‘selfie’ during the mission, while carrying out mapping activities at the sites they explore. We are very excited about this.”​

 Ahmet, Rector of Middle East Technical University, interviewed at IAC (Photo: Anadolu Agency)

Beyond the Moon: Taking Joint Engineering Capabilities to the Global Stage

CHERI represents more than a lunar mission. The project brings together a multidisciplinary team of more than 150 researchers and engineers spanning mechanical engineering, electronics, software, structural design, thermal control, and other fields.​

For STAR.VISION, the project marks an important step in bringing its end-to-end engineering capabilities in intelligent deep-space robotics into the ecosystem of national deep-space exploration missions. For METU and Türkiye, it marks a significant opportunity to bring domestic engineering expertise to the forefront of international lunar exploration.​

 Pei Zhaoyu, Chief Designer of Chang'e-8, and the Rector of Middle East Technical University visit Earth2's lunar robot booth at IAC 2026

At STAR.VISION’s exhibition booth during IAC 2026, the lunar robot attracted attention from visitors across the international space community. Against a backdrop of growing China–Türkiye space cooperation and President Erdoğan’s repeated emphasis on Türkiye’s space ambitions, CHERI is emerging as a prominent vehicle for collaboration between the two countries in deep-space exploration. The President’s encounter with the prototype has brought added visibility to a project that embodies Türkiye’s ambitions for lunar exploration and the potential of international engineering cooperation.

【About STAR.VISION】

STAR.VISION is a world-leading space intelligence infrastructure company and service provider dedicated to reshaping space infrastructure and global industry applications through AI. Through the vertical integration of intelligent spacecraft, on-orbit computing, spatiotemporal data, AI models, and space computing power, it drives the upgrade of traditional satellite systems into a space intelligence network with real-time computing, intelligent understanding, and collaborative service capabilities, serving governments, enterprises, and the emerging space economy worldwide.