Overview

Valeri Nikolayevich Kubasov (Russian: Валерий Николаевич Кубасов) was a Soviet cosmonaut known for his role in several key Soyuz programme flights and for participating in international cooperation in space. Born on 7 January 1935 in Vyazniki, Vladimir Oblast, he served as both a flight engineer and spacecraft commander during a career that spanned the 1960s–1980s era of human spaceflight.

Major missions

Kubasov flew on multiple Soyuz missions with different responsibilities. Highlights include:

  • Soyuz 6 — served as a flight engineer on an early Soyuz mission that contributed to testing and refining Soviet spacecraft systems.
  • Soyuz 19 (Apollo–Soyuz Test Project) — as a flight engineer he took part in the 1975 docking mission that represented the first joint US–Soviet crewed flight and a milestone in Cold War space diplomacy.
  • Soyuz 36 (Intercosmos) — commanded a flight within the Intercosmos programme, which carried international crew members and strengthened collaboration with allied nations.

Career and roles

Kubasov trained as an engineer and specialized in spacecraft systems and mission operations. In Soviet practice, the flight engineer (a role described in more detail at flight engineer) handled complex on‑board systems, navigation support, and scientific experiments. Over his career he moved between technical duties and command responsibilities, illustrating the dual technical and leadership demands placed on Soviet cosmonauts.

Legacy and significance

His participation in the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project made him part of a widely noted episode of international cooperation in space exploration. The Intercosmos flights he took part in also helped broaden the Soviet space programme's contacts with other countries. Accounts of his missions are catalogued in many cosmonaut biographies and mission lists (cosmonaut records).

Personal life and death

Kubasov was born in what was then the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and spent much of his later life in Moscow, Russian Federation (Russia). He was survived by his wife, Lyudmila Kurovskaya, a daughter, Ekaterina, and a son, Dmitry. He died on 19 February 2014 in Moscow; contemporary notices and obituaries record his passing and contributions to human spaceflight (Moscow obituary).

For concise reference material about his life and missions, consult dedicated space history sources and mission archives (Soviet-era records).