Space Days Kazakhstan – 2025 International Forum
10.09.25
On 9 September, Almaty hosted the Space Days Kazakhstan – 2025 International Forum, which brought together leading representatives of the global aerospace industry, international organisations, the scientific community and business. Opening the second day of the forum, Malik Olzhabekov, Vice Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted the importance of the event and summarised Kazakhstan’s achievements in the space industry:
“Kazakhstan’s space industry is developing in a wide variety of areas, from fundamental science to applied technologies. From the design and creation of satellites to the provision of communication services, Earth observation and environmental monitoring. The KazEOSat-1, KazEOSat-2 and KazSTSat Earth remote sensing satellites, as well as the KazSat-2 and KazSat-3 communication satellites, are operating in orbit. We are preparing a new generation of satellite constellations, which are scheduled to be launched in 2028–2029,” the Deputy Minister emphasised.
The forum included a meeting with famous cosmonauts from Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Mongolia and Romania. Among them were: pilot-cosmonaut, People’s Hero of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General of the Air Force of the Republic of Kazakhstan Toktar Aubakirov; pilot-cosmonaut, People’s Hero of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Major General of the Air Force of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aydin Aimbetov; cosmonauts, Heroes of the Russian Federation Anton Shkaplerov and Sergei Volkov; cosmonaut-researcher, Hero of the Mongolian People’s Republic, Hero of the Soviet Union Zhugderdemidiin Gurragchaa; Romanian cosmonaut, Hero of Romania, Hero of the Soviet Union Dumitru Dorin Prunariu; and cosmonaut candidate of the Republic of Belarus, member of the crew of the international experiment ‘Sirius-23’ Olga Sergeevna Mastitskaya.
The cosmonauts shared their memories of their professional careers, their first steps in preparing for flights, and significant moments in their careers.
On the second day, the forum continued in five thematic sections, attended by more than 60 experts in the field of space research and technology. Foreign specialists discussed key areas of international cooperation in the development of space technologies. Particular attention was paid to the role of space technologies in education and science, as well as to issues related to the training of future specialists.
A separate item of discussion was the initiative to create a new spaceport in Kazakhstan, which should become an important element in the development of national and international space infrastructure.
