Bulgaria bids farewell to its second cosmonaut Aleksandr Aleksandrov

President Iliana Iotova paid tribute to Bulgaria's second cosmonaut, Major General Aleksandr Aleksandrov, after attending a public farewell ceremony at the Central Military Club in Sofia. A simultaneous ceremony was held in his hometown of Omurtag, where residents gathered at his monument to pay their last respects. Aleksandrov died on July 10.

"We are saying farewell to one of modern Bulgaria's heroes – Major General Aleksandr Aleksandrov, a distinguished Bulgarian cosmonaut who devoted his life to space science and to the honour of his country. May his legacy be carried forward by the younger generation and upheld by our institutions," Iotova told reporters.

In a message of condolence to Aleksandrov's family, the President said that his career as a military pilot had instilled in him the inner strength, self-discipline and selflessness required of every astronaut.

She recalled his successful 1988 spaceflight under the Interkosmos programme, codenamed Shipka, and the numerous scientific experiments carried out aboard Soyuz TM-5, describing the mission as the pinnacle of his professional career. According to Iotova, it placed Bulgaria alongside the pioneering nations in space exploration.

"We will remember Aleksandr Aleksandrov for his contribution to Bulgarian space science and as an example of a highly skilled, responsible and honourable Bulgarian officer who served his country with dedication," she said.

Born in Omurtag on Dec. 1, 1951, Aleksandrov became Bulgaria's second cosmonaut and the first Bulgarian to board an orbital space station. He graduated as an aeronautical engineer and served as a fighter-bomber pilot in the Bulgarian Air Force. He was selected for the Interkosmos programme in 1977 and was the backup crew member for Bulgaria's first cosmonaut, Georgi Ivanov, during the 1979 Soyuz 33 mission.

On June 7, 1988, Aleksandrov launched aboard Soyuz TM-5 with Soviet cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Viktor Savinykh. The mission ended on June 17 after the crew had spent nine days, 20 hours and 10 minutes in space.

The flight made Bulgaria the third country, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to send two of its citizens into space.

Editor: Diana Tsankova

Edited and posted in English by E. Radkova