A historical event has happened exactly 60 years ago – the Earth man went to the space for the first time. The flight was not long, only 108 minutes, but it makes military pilot, Major Yuri Gagarin, a modest 27-year old young man with charming smile, to be a legend. On April 12, 1961, the launch vehicle took Vostok -1 spaceship with the first spaceman of the Earth onboard to the orbit. The spaceship has flown around the planet at the altitude of 302 kilometers with the speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour.

Future spaceman was born in Kluschino village (Smolensk Region, Russian Federation) on March 9, 1934. In 1951, Gagarin went to Moscow where few years later became a fighter pilot, having received relative education, which made him a perfect candidate to participate in rather ambitious space program. The flight time has come on April 12, 1961.

The first in the history task given to a man for a space flight, which was signed by the Senior Developer of Special Developing Bureau No. 1 of the State Committee of the USSR Council of Ministers of Defensive Equipment Sergey Korolyov and Head of the Space Flight Preparation and Development Department of the Air Force Headquarter Nikolay Kamanin sounded like this: “To make 1 hours 30 minutes one-round flight around the Earth on the altitude of 180 – 230 kilometers and to land in designated area. The goal of the flight is to check the opportunity of a man staying in special equipment spaceship in the space, to check the equipment of the ship during the flight, to check the communication of the ship with the Earth, to ensure the reliability of landing devices of the ship and pilot”.

“Let’s go!” – Gagarin said during the launch of the first piloted spaceship and this phrase has become a synonym of one of the greatest events in the history of humankind. 

Yuri Gagarin has flown around the Earth in the capsule of Vostok – 1 for 108 minutes. After the flight, our planet has become called a blue planet. This term was introduced by Yuri Gagarin, who was the first one to look at it from the space. Thousands of people wished to see the hero and find out from him how the Earth looks alike from the space, what he felt during the flight. Gagarin has given very simple but substantial description beautiful!

It seemed that he would have to make more flights and great discoveries, but the destiny decided otherwise. Yuri Gagarin and his colleague Vladimir Seryogin have crushed at MiG- 15 Fighter during test flight on March 27, 1968.

Today, 60 years after the first flight to the space, great spaceman Yuri Gagarin is still remembered and honored. On April 7, 2011, the UN General Assembly has proclaimed April 12 as International Day of Human Space Flight. 

Huge progress has been achieved in study and development of the space for the past six decades. Today, the spacemen stay in the space for months but not minutes, space equipment has been significantly modernized, capabilities of studies at international space stations have been increased, studies of other planets of the Solar System are carried out, new states join the club of space powers. 

Our country is proud that native of Turkmen land, spaceman, instructor and test pilot of the State Space Activity Corporation “Roscosmos”, space team commander Oleg Kononenko, which total flight time is 736 days 18 hours and 43 minutes, is among the space explorers. He went 5 times and spent 32 hours and 13 minutes in outer space.

In September 2019, Oleg Kononenko was awarded with title of the Hero of Turkmenistan and Altyn Aý golden medal by the Order of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for personal contribution to strengthening of friendly relations between Turkmenistan and Russian Federation, success in development of the space for peaceful purposes and merits to our state.

Independent Turkmenistan has launched its first space vehicle – communication satellite TürkmenÄlem 52°Е in 2015. Built by French Thales Alenia Space, it was launched to near-Earth space by American Falcon 9 launch vehicle from the spaceport on Canaveral Cape (Florida, USA) on April 27 at 23:03 Universal time (It was April 28, 04:03 in Ashgabat).

The satellite is used for VAST networks including for transfer of data between land stations located at several thousand kilometers distance from each other for broadband internet access services, organization of distant learning, telemedicine, organization of various conferences as well as for other modern communication services.

Established ten years ago, National Space Agency under the President of Turkmenistan has been transferred under jurisdiction of the Türkmenaragatnaşyk Agency and renamed to the Space Department of the Agency.

According to the decisions, it is planned to invest 1,300,000,000 manats to the development of national space sphere and improvement of its activity. It is planned to build and launch another satellite using this resources for distant zoning of the Earth. In addition, land-based infrastructure of the industry will have to be significantly expanded, training of personnel and scientific work will be carried out in this direction.

The issues of wider use of satellite communication systems, which give new capabilities for communication and support the development of national economy, preparation to the launch of the second national satellite were reviewed at the session of the Government last March. It was decided to establish the Government Commission for coordination of National Monitoring System the Earth Surface for fulfilment of objectives related to the formation of new technological and communication base for collection of information about the Earth surface from the space, study and processing of received data as well as training and education of relative specialists in this field.

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Today, SpaceX Company, which has launched Turkmen satellite to the orbit, develops space tourism. The head of the company Elon Musk  thinks that Starship spacecraft, which is tested by the company, may become a part of ambitious interplanetary transport system in the future. Meanwhile, American rover Perseverance, which has reached Mars in February, transmits dozens of photos and even the sounds from the Mars surface to the Earth. At present time, Martian and lunar programs are developed and implemented by other states as well. Thus, two space vehicles launched by the PRC and UAE have set off to Mars together with Perseverance last summer.

There was many bright events in the history of the space development, which became a symbol of consolidation of efforts for research and study of the space for peaceful purposes. This is an experimental flight Soyuz – Apollo, which is remembered by many people and known as a space handshake. Two leading space power have entered into agreement on cooperation is research of the space on June 17, 1992 and it was extended again in the beginning of April.it was noted in Russian Government that extension of the  agreement meets the interests of both sides and would support efficient implementation of joint space projects.

Opening of International Space Station, which is used as multipurpose space research complex, is a bright example of cooperation in this sphere. The ISS is a joint project with participation of 14 countries. Successful dialog in space sphere shows which heights can be achieved by humankind by consolidating the efforts.

Ogulgozel Rejepova, Liana Bolotova