Viktor Gorbatko
Viktor Vasilyevich Gorbatko (3 December 1934 – 17 May 2017) was a Soviet cosmonaut and pilot who flew on three space missions: Soyuz 7, Soyuz 24, and Soyuz 37 (which docked with Soyuz 36). He spent about 30 days in space.
Born in Ventsy-Zarya in the Northern Caucasus, he trained as a pilot after joining the Soviet Army in 1952. He graduated as a lieutenant in 1956 and served in the Soviet Air Force, rising through the ranks.
Gorbatko was among the first group of Soviet cosmonauts, starting training in 1960 and reaching space in 1967. His first spaceflight was Soyuz 7 in October 1969, which tested lunar equipment but failed to dock with Soyuz 8, and the program was eventually canceled.
He commanded Soyuz 24 in February 1977 to the Salyut 5 space station, an 18-day mission and the last all-military Soviet flight. In 1980 he commanded Soyuz 37, which carried Pham Tuân, the first Vietnamese astronaut, to Salyut 6; they landed in the Soyuz 36 capsule. He spent about 7 days 20 hours in space on this mission.
Gorbatko left the space program in 1982 and taught at the Air Force Engineering Academy in Moscow. He died on 17 May 2017 and was buried at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery in Moscow Oblast.
He received many awards, including Hero of the Soviet Union twice and the Order of Lenin three times.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:50 (CET).