Aleksandr Aleksandrov (1951 – 2026)

Their Story

Aleksandr Panayotov Aleksandrov was a pioneering Bulgarian cosmonaut who became the second Bulgarian to reach space and the first to visit a Soviet space station. Born in Omurtag, Bulgaria on December 1, 1951, Aleksandrov pursued a distinguished military aviation career, graduating from the Bulgarian Air Force Academy in 1974 and rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Selected as a research cosmonaut in 1978 through the Soviet Union's Intercosmos program, he launched aboard Soyuz TM-5 on June 7, 1988, alongside Soviet commanders Anatoly Solovyev and Viktor Savinykh. During his historic mission, Aleksandrov spent just under ten days in space, including seven aboard the Mir space station, conducting important scientific experiments. After his spaceflight, he served as Deputy Director of the Institute of Space Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and continued his work as a research scientist. His contributions to international space cooperation were honored with the Order of Stara Planina in 2003 and the Medal for Merit in Space Exploration in 2011. Aleksandrov passed away on July 10, 2026, at the age of 74, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneering space explorer who opened doors for Bulgarian participation in crewed spaceflight.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Panayotov_Aleksandrov