National Hero and Cosmonaut T.A. Musabayev Has Passed Away

August 4, 2025. At the age of 74, National Hero of Kazakhstan and cosmonaut of the Republic of Kazakhstan T.A. Musabayev passed away.

The President of the country, K.-Zh.K. Tokayev, sent condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased:

“Talgat Amangeldievich – a hero who ventured into space three times and carried out spacewalks – brought glory to our country through his feats. His entire professional life was dedicated to the progress of national space exploration. As a member of the Senate and a public figure, he initiated many worthy undertakings. The radiant image of Talgat Amangeldievich, who was consistently respected in society for his professionalism and active civic position, will forever remain in our hearts,” the telegram reads.

Condolences to the family and loved ones of the departed were also expressed by the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

On February 27, 2024, in the fireplace hall of the administrative and spiritual-cultural center named after the Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius in Astana, Talgat Musabayevich, in recognition of his efforts in patriotic education of the younger generation and in strengthening church–society cooperation on current issues of modernity, was awarded the highest distinction of the Kazakh Metropolitan District – the “Beibitshilik pen Kelisim” (Peace and Harmony) order.

Musabayev Talgat Amangeldievich – National Hero of Kazakhstan, Hero of the Russian Federation, cosmonaut of the Republic of Kazakhstan, cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General of Aviation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

His first spaceflight was from July 1 to November 4, 1994, as flight engineer of Soyuz TM-19 and the Mir orbital complex, under the EO-16 program. During the mission, he performed two spacewalks.

Flight duration: 125 days, 22 hours, 53 minutes, 36 seconds.

His second spaceflight, as commander of Soyuz TM-27 and the Mir orbital complex, under the EO-25 program, was from January 29 to August 25, 1998. During the mission, he performed five spacewalks.

Flight duration: 207 days, 12 hours, 51 minutes, 2 seconds.

His third spaceflight was from April 28 to May 6, 2001, as commander of Soyuz TM-32 and the first Russian visiting expedition to the ISS.

Flight duration: 7 days, 22 hours, 4 minutes, 8 seconds.

By decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Talgat Musabayev was appointed Chairman of the Aerospace Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan. Later, he headed the National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, established by presidential decree on March 27, 2007.

In 2017, by decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Musabayev was appointed a member of the Senate. He was a member of the Committee on International Relations, Defense, and Security.