Aleksandr Samokutyaev (1970 – 2026)
Written and published by the SouleMap editorial team. Published June 18, 2026. This tribute was not created by the family. Are you a family member? Claim this memorial.
In loving memory of Aleksandr Samokutyaev. Born March 13, 1970. Passed away June 17, 2026.
Their Story
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Samokutyaev was a Russian politician and cosmonaut who died on June 17, 2026, at age 56. He graduated from the Chernigov Higher Military Pilot School in 1992 and served as the Head of the planning division at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center before beginning his cosmonaut career. On May 29, 2003, Samokutyaev was enlisted by the cosmonaut detachment and passed a course on general space training, qualifying as a test-cosmonaut on July 5, 2005. Samokutyaev flew to space twice, both times to the International Space Station. In his first mission, the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft carrying Samokutyaev, cosmonaut Andrei Borisenko, and NASA astronaut Ron Garan launched on April 4, 2011. On August 3, 2011, Samokutyaev completed his first spacewalk, which lasted 6 hours and 23 minutes, performing science tests and routine maintenance tasks on the Russian segment of the ISS alongside cosmonaut Sergey Volkov. He returned to space aboard Soyuz TMA-14M as commander, part of the Expedition 41/42 long-duration ISS crew, launching on September 25, 2014 and remaining aboard until March 2015. He represented the Lermontovsky constituency in the State Duma from 2020 until his death.
Sources
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