Roscosmos Cosmonaut Corps
Unit selecting and training cosmonauts for Russian and international missions.
The Roscosmos Cosmonaut Corps is a division within Russia’s state space corporation, Roscosmos, responsible for choosing, training, and supplying cosmonauts for Russian and international space missions. It operates under the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, located in Star City, Moscow Oblast, Russia.
The corps was established on January 11, 1960, through a directive from the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Air Force. Its original roster of twenty people included Yuri Gagarin, who later became the first human in space. The selection process initially fell to the Air Force, military doctors, and flight medical commissions, with training handled by the Soviet Air Force. After the Soviet Union dissolved, the corps shifted to a partly civilian structure and came under the Russian Space and Aviation Agency (RKA).
The corps is headquartered at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, though members may be stationed elsewhere depending on mission needs. The Chief of the Cosmonaut Office holds the top leadership role among active cosmonauts, acting as head of the corps and principal advisor to the Roscosmos Director-General on training and operations. Yuri Gagarin was the first to hold this position, appointed in 1960. The current Chief is Maksim Kharlamov.
To join the corps as a space pilot, candidates must pass medical and psychological evaluations at the Central Research Aviation Hospital and attend an in-person interview. During the Soviet era, membership in the Communist Party was also required. Today, the main prerequisites include Russian citizenship, age under 35, a higher education degree, English proficiency, successful completion of medical and psychological tests, and a body weight of no more than 90 kilograms (200 pounds).
As of July 2025, the corps has 23 active cosmonauts—one woman and 22 men. All current members were selected in 1996 or later. Missions currently underway are underlined; those scheduled are in italics and subject to change. A partial list of former cosmonauts includes figures from both the Soviet and Russian eras. While all Soviet and Russian cosmonauts were born within the borders of the U.S.S.R., some were born outside modern Russia and may be claimed by other successor states; these are marked with an asterisk, with their birthplaces noted separately. All held Soviet or Russian citizenship at the time of their flight
- formed
- January 11, 1960
- first chief
- Yuri Gagarin (appointed 1960)
- current chief
- Maksim Kharlamov
- active members (as of July 2025)
- 23 (1 woman, 22 men)
- location
- Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Lore & Background
The development of Soviet science and technology made it possible, by the end of the 1950s, to consider crewed space flight. In early 1959, Mstislav Keldysh held a meeting discussing crewed space flight, leading to resolutions on January 5 and May 22, 1959, for medical selection and preparation of candidates. The selection was entrusted to the Air Force and military doctors, and the corps was formed on January 11, 1960, with the first 12 pilots appointed as listener-cosmonauts. The first corps consisted of twenty people, and on March 23, 1961, Yuri Gagarin was appointed commander of the corps.
Reader's Guide
The Roscosmos Cosmonaut Corps has been central to Russian and Soviet spaceflight since its formation in 1960. It selected and trained the first cosmonauts, including Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space. The corps evolved from a military unit (military unit No. 26266) into a partly civilian organization after the Soviet Union's dissolution. Its members have flown on numerous missions, including Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz, and Space Shuttle flights. The corps maintains strict requirements: Russian citizenship, age up to 35, higher education, English knowledge, medical and psychological tests, and body weight up to 90 kilograms. As of July 2025, it has 23 active cosmonauts, all selected in 1996 or later. The corps' legacy includes pioneering human spaceflight and continuing crewed missions for the Russian Federation and international partners.
Did You Know?
- The cosmonaut corps was formed on January 11, 1960, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the USSR.
- Yuri Gagarin was appointed as the commander of the cosmonaut corps on March 23, 1961.
- During the Soviet era, membership in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was a prerequisite for joining the cosmonaut corps.
- As of July 2025, the corps has 23 active cosmonauts: 1 woman and 22 men.
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