Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

42 years since the first flight of a Bulgarian astronaut in space

Nikolai Rukavishnikov and Georgi Ivanov (right)
Photo: BNR archive

The day was April 10, 1979 and the time 20 hours and 34 minutes. The Soyuz-33 spacecraft launched into orbit takes to outer space. The first Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov was onboard. He made 31 complete orbits around the Earth. Onboard the ship Bulgaria's Ivanov was with the Soviet cosmonaut Nikolai Rukavishnikov. 

This flight placed Bulgaria as the 6th space country in the world after the USSR, USA, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the GDR.

All-Bulgarian equipment and appliances were created specifically for this flight which were the work of Bulgarian scientists. Bulgarian scientists also created different types of space foods while preserving the taste, aroma and nutritional qualities of the products in space flight. 

Some of the Bulgarian developments continue to be used in space flights to this day.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

President Radev appoints ambassadors to Belgium, the Netherlands and Kazakhstan

President Rumen Radev has issued decrees appointing Bulgarian ambassadors to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Kazakhstan. The decrees were published in the State Gazette, reported BTA. Natalia Evgenieva..

published on 10/21/25 9:14 AM

Sofia’s Da Fest explores signals from an uncertain world

The 10th edition of the International Festival Da Fest presents works by leading global digital artists. Organised by Da Lab and the National Academy of Art, the five-day event begins today in Sofia. This year's theme, “Anxiety: Signals from an..

published on 10/21/25 9:05 AM
Georg Georgiev

Bulgaria willing to provide air corridor for Putin to meet Trump in Budapest

Bulgaria will allow a plane carrying Vladimir Putin to fly through its airspace to facilitate a planned meeting between the Russian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump in Budapest, said Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev, as..

published on 10/21/25 8:58 AM