“Hero of the Soviet Union” Russian astronaut Anatoly Filipchenko dies aged 95

On Sunday, 7 August 2022, Russian astronaut Anatoly Filipchenko, a participant in the world’s first group flight of three spacecrafts, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, passed away at the 95th year of his life, on Sunday, August 7, as reported by Russia’s state-owned Roscosmos Space corporation.

Russian astronaut Anatoly Filipchenko was born on February 26, 1928 in the village of Davydovka, Voronezh Region of the RSFSR.

In 1950 he graduated from Chuguev aviation school with the qualification of “military pilot”.

From 1957-1961, he studied at the department of correspondence at the Red Banner Military Air Academy.

In 1963 he was enrolled as a cosmonaut in the cosmonaut corps of the Cosmonaut Training Centre of the Air Force and in 1965 officially became a  cosmonaut.

In October 1969, as the commander of Soyuz-7 he made the first space flight of five days together with Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Gorbatko.

He was the first in the world to perform a group flight of three spacecraft together with Soyuz-6 and Soyuz-8.

In December 1974, as commander of Soyuz-16 he made the second space flight of six days with Nikolay Rukavishnikov to test a new modification of Soyuz spacecraft for the EPAS program.

From 1982-1988 he served as the head of the 1st Directorate of the CPC. In 1988 he was transferred from active military service to the reserve.

His titles included, military pilot 1st class, test-pilot 3rd class, cosmonaut 2nd class, candidate of military science and honorary citizen of Kaluga, Chita, Lipetsk, Karaganda, Arkalyk, Sumy and Houston.

He was awarded two “Gold Star” medals of the Hero of the Soviet Union, two Orders of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner of Labour, Order of the SRR (5th class), Order of the State Banner of Uzbekistan.

Other awards include: medals “25 years of National Power” and “For Strengthening the Fraternity in Arms” of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, medal “Fraternity in Arms” of the first degree of Czechoslovakia, medal “Fraternity in Arms” of the third degree of the GDR, medal “1300 Years of Bulgaria”, gold medal of K.E.

In addition he received the Tsiolkovsky of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Bulgaria, medal “Honorary Doctor of Moscow. He was awarded the Tsiolkovsky Gold Medal of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Komsomol Central Committee badge “Military Valour” and the Medal “For Achievements in Space Exploration”, and winner of the State Prize of the USSR.

“Roscosmos expressed its condolences to the family and friends of Anatoly Filipchenko, the memory of him will forever remain in our hearts,” stated the space corporation.

The news follows reports of President Vladimir Putin dismissing the head of the state-run Roscosmos Space corporation, Dmitry Rogozin, as reported on Friday, July 15.

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