KazCosmos

On 7 January 2000, the Kazakh government decreed it would form a cosmonaut corps.{{cite web |author1=Press-Service of Kazcosmos |author1-link=KazCosmos |title=Aidyn Aimbetov: "I will travel into space only under the Kazakh flag" |url=https://kazcosmos.gov.kz/en/news/140114.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907205823/http://kazcosmos.gov.kz/en/news/140114.html |archive-date=7 September 2015 |url-status=dead}} At that time, two Kazakh cosmonauts had already flown, Toktar Aubakirov in 1991, and Talgat Musabayev (1994, 1998; later 2001).{{cite news |url= http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/kazakhstans-third-ever-cosmonaut-to-replace-pop-star-brightman-on-iss-mission/524160.html |title= Kazakhstan's Third-Ever Cosmonaut to Replace Pop Star Brightman on ISS Mission |date= 22 June 2015 |publisher= The Moscow Times }} Out of 2000 candidates, two were selected, Aidyn Aimbetov and Mukhtar Aymakhanov, in 2002.{{cite news |url= http://astana.gov.kz/en/modules/material/7857 |title= Aidyn Aimbetov: Flying into the Space is not Buying a Theater Ticket |date= 13 April 2015 |publisher= Akimat of Astana |access-date= 23 June 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150627060650/http://astana.gov.kz/en/modules/material/7857 |archive-date= 27 June 2015 |url-status= dead }} They were sent to Star City for training from 2003 until 2009, when the world financial crisis indefinitely postponed the spaceflight. In 2009, they returned to work in KazCosmos.{{cite news |url= http://www.inform.kz/eng/article/2197108 |title= A. Aimbetov appointed Advisor to Kazkosmos Chairman |author= Sara Kabikyzy |publisher= KazInform |date= 11 September 2009 |archive-date= 12 July 2018 |access-date= 23 June 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180712183454/https://www.inform.kz/eng/article/2197108 |url-status= dead }} They had originally been projected for a spaceflight in 2005 or 2006.{{cite news |url= http://english.pravda.ru/business/finance/06-03-2003/1919-cosmonauts-0/ |title= 2 Kazakh Cosmonauts to Undergo Training at Russia's Stellar City |date= 6 March 2003 |publisher= PRAVDA.ru }} Aymakhanov left Kazakhstan in 2012 to become a Russian citizen to pursue a cosmonaut career.{{cite news |url= http://sen.com/news/kazakh-cosmonaut-to-replace-brightman-on-space-station-trip |title= Kazakh cosmonaut to replace Brightman on space station trip |author= Anatoly Zak |date= 22 June 2015 |publisher= Sen |access-date= 23 June 2015 |archive-date= 2 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210502100318/https://sen.com/news/kazakh-cosmonaut-to-replace-brightman-on-space-station-trip |url-status= dead }} Aimbetov was still ready for spaceflight in April 2015, and had originally been projected to fly on a 2017 launch.{{cite news |url= http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russia_eyes_Kazakh_cosmonaut_as_space_tourist_999.html |title= Russia eyes Kazakh cosmonaut as space tourist |date= 22 June 2015 |author= AFP |publisher= Space Daily }} In June 2015, he was selected as the replacement for Sarah Brightman on Soyuz TMA-18M/Soyuz TMA-16M, who had declined to fly, and her backup Satoshi Takamatsu also declined. He launched from Baikonur on 2 September 2015, docked with the International Space Station, and returned on 11 September 2015, touching down on the Kazakhstan Steppe, having spent 10 days in space.{{cite news |url= http://newsdaily.com/2015/09/record-setting-cosmonaut-two-visiting-crewmen-head-home-from-space-station/ |title= Record-setting cosmonaut, two visiting crewmen head home from space station |date= 11 September 2015 |publisher= Science Daily |agency= Reuters |author= Irene Klotz |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150914212527/http://newsdaily.com/2015/09/record-setting-cosmonaut-two-visiting-crewmen-head-home-from-space-station/ |archivedate= 14 September 2015 }}{{cite news |url= http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/09/soyuz-tma-18m-one-expedition-crewmember-iss/ |title= Soyuz TMA-18M docks to increase ISS crew size to nine |date= 3 September 2015 |author= Chris Gebhardt |publisher= NASA Spaceflight .com }}

The year prior to establishment, on 18 June 2006, the communications satellite KazSat-1 was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, marking the beginning of Kazakhstan's independent inflight space operations.{{cite web|url=http://www.interfax.kz/?lang=eng&int_id=13&category=exclusive&news_id=28|title=BAIKONUR IS STILL THE CORE OF KAZAKH-RUSSIAN COOPERATION IN SPACE|publisher=interfax.kz|date=February 2008}} In 2008 communications with the satellite ended, and it was declared lost.{{cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/kazsat.html |title=KazSat |publisher=russianspaceweb.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622082609/http://www.russianspaceweb.com/kazsat.html |archivedate=2011-06-22 }} The next planned satellite, KazSat-2, experienced a series of delays, but was launched on 16 July 2011 on board a Proton rocket. KazSat-2 was built by Krunichev and Thales Alenia Space Italy.{{cite web|url=http://www.ilslaunch.com/newsroom/news-releases/ils-proton-successfully-launches-ses-3-satellite-ses|title=First ILS Proton Shared Launch with the KazSat-2 Satellite - Kazkosmos|publisher=ILS website|date=July 16, 2011}} KazCosmos signed a contract with ISS-Reshetnev and Thales Alenia Space Italy on 21 June 2011 for the third telecommunications satellite, named KazSat-3 and launched it in 2014.

The head of the agency, Talgat Musabayev, is a veteran of three spaceflights, including two long-duration stays aboard the Russian space station Mir. Musabayev says that the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is in Kazakhstan, is the main component of the cooperation between the Russian and Kazakh space programs. The Russians still heavily use Baikonur for launches.

• List of government space agencies
• Kazakh space program

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|KazKosmos}}

• [http://gharysh.kz/ Kazcosmos website]

{{Public sector space agencies}}

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Category:Space program of Kazakhstan

Category:Space agencies