Aleksandr Gorbunov

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Aleksandr Gorbunov is a Russian cosmonaut and aerospace engineer. He was born on May 24, 1990, in Zheleznogorsk, Russia. He studied engineering at the Moscow Aviation Institute and graduated in 2014 with a degree in Spacecraft and Upper Stages.

Before becoming a cosmonaut, Gorbunov worked as a design engineer at Energia, helping to develop the Progress MS cargo spacecraft. He holds the rank of Lieutenant in the Russian Air Force Reserve.

Gorbunov began cosmonaut training in 2018 after passing medical checks. He completed two years of general training, including winter survival, diving, water survival, and zero-gravity training. He passed the state exam in November 2020 and was named a test cosmonaut in December 2020.

In 2022, he was chosen for the main crew of Expedition 72 to the International Space Station. He also trained as a backup for SpaceX Crew-8 and as a flight engineer for Soyuz MS-26. In January 2024, he was selected to fly on SpaceX Crew-9, under the Dragon-Soyuz cross-crew flight system, to help keep the ISS continuously crewed.

Gorbunov’s first spaceflight was SpaceX Crew-9, which launched in September 2024. He served as a flight engineer on Expedition 72 and spent about six months aboard the ISS. The mission had some delays due to issues with the Boeing Starliner, but Crew-9 successfully carried the station crew. Notably, he sat in the pilot’s seat during launch, making him the first Russian cosmonaut to pilot an American spacecraft.

The crew returned to Earth with a splashdown off the coast of Florida on March 18, 2025, and were safely recovered.

In his spare time, Gorbunov enjoys paragliding, hiking, and scuba diving. He says space exploration helps him pursue his love of flying and adventure.