Muhammed Ahmed Faris
Muhammed Ahmed Faris was a Syrian Air Force pilot and Intercosmos research cosmonaut who became the first Syrian citizen in space. His flight was a short-duration visit to Mir during the Soviet international partner program.
- Born
- May 26, 1951
- Died
- April 19, 2024
- Birthplace
- Aleppo,Syria
Flights
1
Spacewalks
N/A
EVA time
N/A
In space
7 days, 23 hours, 5 minutes
Bio
Faris trained as a military pilot before being selected for the Syrian-Soviet Intercosmos mission. His backup was Munir Habib, and the prime crew paired Faris with Aleksandr Viktorenko and Aleksandr Aleksandrov.
He launched aboard Soyuz TM-3 in July 1987 and returned aboard Soyuz TM-2 after a week aboard Mir. The mission included Syrian and Soviet scientific observations and national outreach.
Faris later became a prominent public figure because of his status as Syria's first astronaut.