ASTRONAUTS from Kazakhstan

Top 6

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Kazakhstani Astronauts of all time. This list of famous Kazakhstani Astronauts is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Aleksandr Viktorenko (1947 - 2023)

With an HPI of 59.72, Aleksandr Viktorenko is the most famous Kazakhstani Astronaut.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages on wikipedia.

Aleksandr Stepanovich Viktorenko (Russian: Александр Степанович Викторенко; 29 March 1947 – 10 August 2023) was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut. Viktorenko was selected as a cosmonaut on 23 March 1978 and retired on 30 May 1997. He was commander of Soyuz TM-3, Soyuz TM-8, Soyuz TM-14, and Soyuz TM-20. He spent a total of 489 days in space. Aleksandr Viktorenko died on 10 August 2023, at the age of 76.

2. Toktar Aubakirov (b. 1946)

With an HPI of 57.75, Toktar Aubakirov is the 2nd most famous Kazakhstani Astronaut.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Toktar Ongarbayuly Aubakirov (Kazakh: Тоқтар Оңғарбайұлы Әубәкіров (Toqtar Oñğarbaiūly Äubäkırov), Russian: Токтар Онгарбаевич Аубакиров, born on 27 July 1946) is a retired Kazakh Air Force officer and a former cosmonaut. He is the first person from Kazakhstan to go to space.

3. Viktor Patsayev (1933 - 1971)

With an HPI of 57.23, Viktor Patsayev is the 3rd most famous Kazakhstani Astronaut.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev (Russian: Виктор Иванович Пацаев; 19 June 1933 – 30 June 1971) was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on the Soyuz 11 mission and was part of the third space crew to die during a space flight. On board the space station Salyut 1 he operated the Orion 1 Space Observatory (see Orion 1 and Orion 2 Space Observatories); he became the first man to operate a telescope outside the Earth's atmosphere. After a normal re-entry, the capsule was opened and the crew was found dead. It was discovered that a valve had opened just prior to leaving orbit that had allowed the capsule's atmosphere to vent away into space, suffocating the crew. One of Patsayev's hands was found to be bruised, and he may have been trying to shut the valve manually at the time he lost consciousness. Patsayev's ashes were interred in the Kremlin Wall on Red Square in Moscow. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin and the title of Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR. The lunar crater Patsaev and the minor planet 1791 Patsayev are named for him.

4. Vladimir Shatalov (1927 - 2021)

With an HPI of 56.06, Vladimir Shatalov is the 4th most famous Kazakhstani Astronaut.  His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Vladimir Aleksandrovich Shatalov (Russian: Владимир Александрович Шаталов; December 8, 1927 – June 15, 2021) was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew three space missions of the Soyuz programme: Soyuz 4 (1969), Soyuz 8 (1969), and Soyuz 10 (1971). From 1987 to 1991, he headed the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Lieutenant General, Soviet Air Force (1975).

5. Talgat Musabayev (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 52.01, Talgat Musabayev is the 5th most famous Kazakhstani Astronaut.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Talgat Amangeldyuly Musabayev (Kazakh: Талғат Аманкелдіұлы Мұсабаев, Talğat Amankeldıūly Mūsabaev; born 7 January 1951) is a Kazakh politician, test pilot and former cosmonaut who flew on three spaceflights. His first two spaceflights were long-duration stays aboard the Russian space station Mir. His third spaceflight was a short duration visiting mission to the International Space Station, which also carried the first paying space tourist Dennis Tito. He retired as a cosmonaut in November 2003. Since 2007 he has been head of KazCosmos, Kazakhstan's National Space Agency.

6. Yury Lonchakov (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 41.43, Yury Lonchakov is the 6th most famous Kazakhstani Astronaut.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Yury Valentinovich Lonchakov (Russian: Юрий Валентинович Лончаков; born 4 March 1965) is a Russian former cosmonaut and a veteran of three space missions. He has spent 200 days in space and has conducted two spacewalks. From 2014 to 2017, Lonchakov served as head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.