Imagine a person living during the Ottoman Empire who managed to fly over Istanbul using the technology of the time. Such a person truly existed. His name was Lagari Hasan Çelebi.
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Who Was Lagari Hasan Çelebi?
Lagari Hasan Çelebi, a scientist from the 17th century, is recognized as the first person to achieve vertical ascent using a rocket. It is said that he traveled 2.5 kilometers after being launched with a 30-meter-long rocket and safely landed in the sea. He is often referred to as the “first person to achieve a genuine rocket-powered flight.”
What Did He Do?
The information about his life is primarily derived from the accounts of his contemporary, Evliya Çelebi, in the Seyahatname. According to Evliya Çelebi, during the celebrations for the birth of Sultan Murad IV’s daughter, Kaya Sultan, Hasan Çelebi invented a seven-winged rocket using 50 okkas (approximately 64 kilograms) of gunpowder paste. In the presence of Sultan Murad IV at Sarayburnu, he boarded the rocket. Upon ignition by his assistants, the rocket ascended into the air. While airborne, he ignited additional rockets he carried, illuminating the sea surface. As the main rocket’s fuel was depleted and began to descend, he opened eagle-shaped wings he held in his hands and landed gently in the sea in front of Sinan Pasha Mansion. Swimming back to shore, he humorously remarked to the Sultan, “My Sultan, Prophet Jesus sends you his regards.” Impressed by his success, Sultan Murad awarded him with a position as a sipahi (Ottoman cavalryman).
Swimming to Shore
The rocket Lagari Hasan Çelebi used consisted of a main engine surrounded by six smaller engines, forming the first stage that lifted the rocket into the air. Once the fuel in these smaller engines was depleted, the second stage—the larger main engine—took over, propelling the rocket further. When the rocket reached a height of 300 meters, Hasan Çelebi exited, using a parachute-like device to glide slowly down to the sea. After landing, he swam to shore.
Lagari in the Modern Era
Known as the father of rocketry, Lagari Hasan Çelebi’s legacy is honored at the Satellite and Space Museum located in Türksat’s Gölbaşı Campus. The museum showcases models of all satellites in Türksat’s inventory, as well as the rockets that carried them into space.
