Abdul Ahad Momand Dies in Stuttgart After Cancer, Afghanistan’s First Astronaut

Abdul Ahad Momand, described as Afghanistan’s first and only astronaut, died on June 21 at the age of 67 in a hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, after suffering from cancer.

“— Abdul Ahad Momand, the first citizen of Afghanistan to fly into space, has died at the age of 67”

collectSPACE

EurAsian Times said Momand became the first Afghan in space in August 1988, when he began his space flight to the Mir Space Station on August 29 and returned to Earth on September 7.

collectSPACE

collectSPACE reported that on Aug. 29, 1988, Momand lifted off with Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Lyakhov and Valery Polyakov on the Soyuz TM-6 spacecraft for a three-day rendezvous with the Mir space station.

collectSPACE added that for five days aboard the orbital outpost, Momand spoke to the then-president of Afghanistan, Mohammad Najibullah, and later established Pashto as the fourth language to be spoken from space while speaking to his mother.

EurAsian Times said Momand took a copy of the Quran with him and became the first person to recite it in space, and the first to speak Pashto from space.

collectSPACE stated that although he was the fourth Muslim to reach orbit, Momand was the first to carry and read from the Quran and also prepared Afghan tea for his crewmates.

EurAsian Times

collectSPACE further reported that Momand spoke to the then-president of Afghanistan, Mohammad Najibullah, and that his reentry was delayed due to a sensor problem interfering with their attempt at a deorbit burn.

تلویزیون سفیر said Momand traveled to the Mir Space Station in 1988 as part of a joint space mission with the former Soviet Union and spent nearly 9 days in space.

collectSPACE said Momand was chosen to train for spaceflight under the successor to the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program, Glavkosmos, and that the project encouraged increased cooperation and financial benefit by flying representatives from communist states in central and eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

“Abdul Ahad Momand, the first and only Afghan astronaut, died yesterday (21th of June ) at the age of 67 in a hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, after suffering from cancer”

تلویزیون سفیر

EurAsian Times described Momand’s flight as a powerful symbol of Soviet propaganda as the USSR was losing ground in the Cold War and facing domestic discontent over its military intervention in Afghanistan, while the Kremlin promoted the mission as proof of Soviet-Afghan scientific and technological cooperation.

collectSPACE reported that for his service to the Interkosmos program, Momand was awarded the status of Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin, and that in 2010 he received the Russian medal "For Merit in Space Exploration."

تلویزیون سفیر said reactions in Afghanistan included citizens and social media users referring to him as one of the country’s scientific honors, while collectSPACE quoted an Instagram post calling him “a loving, compassionate father and a steadfast pillar of support for the entire family.”