Hungary’s Pioneer Astronaut Marks 75th Birthday
Bertalan Farkas, the first Hungarian astronaut and esteemed colonel engineer, celebrates his 75th birthday today. Born in 1949 in Gyulaháza, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, Bertalan Farkas initially excelled in football but later pursued a career in aviation, becoming a flight officer in 1972 and a first-class fighter pilot four years later. In 1978, he volunteered to train as an astronaut, eventually earning the rank of flight lieutenant.
During the late 1970s, Bertalan Farkas became involved in the Intercosmos program, a joint space exploration initiative among socialist countries. He underwent rigorous training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Moscow, along with three other candidates. In 1980, he was selected as the astronaut to represent Hungary, embarking on his historic journey alongside Commander Valery Kubasov aboard Soyuz-36 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
During his 7-day, 20-hour, and 45-minute mission in space, Bertalan Farkas conducted various experiments and observations in collaboration with Hungarian research institutes, including studies on biomedical, metallurgical, and physics research. Upon his return to Earth, he endured an overload of 45-50 g, marking a significant milestone in his astronautical career.
In recognition of his achievements, Bertalan Farkas received a hero’s welcome, state honors, and a promotion to lieutenant colonel. He pursued further studies in transport engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and went on to hold various prestigious positions in the aerospace and military sectors. In 2020, he was honored with the Görgei Artúr Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Order of Vitéz in 2022.
Today, Bertalan Farkas continues to be an influential figure in the field of space exploration, with a planet named after him and various accolades to his name. The legacy of this pioneering Hungarian astronaut lives on as the next generation of astronauts, including mechanical engineer Tibor Kapu, prepare to embark on missions to the International Space Station in collaboration with NASA and other space agencies. Bertalan Farkas’s contributions to the realm of space exploration have left an indelible mark on Hungary’s history and the global space community.
