Georgi Ivanov Kakalov
Georgi Ivanov Kakalov is a Bulgarian military pilot and Intercosmos cosmonaut who became the first Bulgarian in space. His Soyuz 33 mission did not reach Salyut 6, but it remains one of the most important emergency recoveries in Soyuz history.
- Born
- July 2, 1940
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Lovech,Kingdom of Bulgaria
Flights
1
Spacewalks
N/A
EVA time
N/A
In space
1 day, 23 hours, 1 minute
Bio
Ivanov trained at the Bulgarian military aviation school at Dolna Mitropolia and served as a pilot, instructor, and officer in the Bulgarian People's Army. He was selected for Intercosmos training in 1978, during the Soviet program that flew allied and partner-nation cosmonauts.
Soyuz 33 launched in April 1979 with Ivanov and Nikolai Rukavishnikov. A main-engine failure during forced the crew to abandon docking with Salyut 6 and prepare an early return.
The landing was difficult, with a steep ballistic , but both crew members survived. Ivanov later worked in aviation, public life, and space advocacy, and his flight made Bulgaria one of the first nations represented by a citizen in orbit.