Afghanistan’s First Astronaut Abdul Ahad Momand Dies at 67

KABUL — Abdul Ahad Momand, Afghanistan’s first and only astronaut, has died at the age of 67 after battling cancer, his family and associates said, bringing to a close the life of a national figure whose 1988 space mission remains a landmark in the country’s history.

Momand died on June 21 at a hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, where he had lived since leaving Afghanistan in 1992 during the country’s civil war.

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani paid tribute to Momand in a message on X, describing him as Afghanistan’s first and only astronaut and extending condolences to his family.

In 1988, Momand, then a 29-year-old Afghan Air Force pilot, was selected to participate in the Soviet Union’s Intercosmos program, which sent astronauts from allied countries into space during the Cold War.

Following months of training, he launched aboard the Soyuz TM-6 spacecraft with Soviet cosmonauts Vladimir Lyakhov and Valery Polyakov, spending nine days aboard the Mir space station conducting scientific research.

His return journey aboard Soyuz TM-5 was delayed by technical problems, extending the mission by one day and leaving the crew temporarily stranded in orbit before they returned safely to Earth.

According to an Associated Press report published at the time, Momand said before the mission that the flight would help identify Afghanistan’s mineral resources, assess hydroelectric potential and study glaciers and earthquake risks.

During the mission, he delivered a televised message to Afghanistan from orbit, expressing hope that peace would one day replace the violence affecting his homeland. He also carried and recited verses from the Qur’an during the flight, a moment later described by Ghani as symbolizing Afghanistan’s national and Islamic identity in space.

Born in Andar district of Ghazni province, Momand received military training in Afghanistan and the Soviet Union before joining the Afghan Air Force.

His death prompted tributes from Afghans who regarded him as a national hero whose journey into space offered a rare moment of unity during a period marked by conflict.

Momand is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.