Acceptance of applications for cosmonauts has been completed: about 16 percent passed the full-time round

Work on open selection continues at the Cosmonaut Training Center

Of the 263 applicants who submitted applications as part of the open selection for cosmonauts in 2023, only about 16 percent were invited to the next, full-time stage. The TsPK im. Yu.A. Gagarin.

Since July, when Roscosmos and the Cosmonaut Training Center announced an open selection for the cosmonaut corps, 1,394 requests have been sent to the industry by telephone, email and in writing. Of this number of applicants, 263 applicants “matured” before the decision to send a package of documents to the CPC (documents were accepted until December 20).

Of the submitted documents, 69 belonged to women (almost the same number during the previous selection in 2019-2020), 63 applications were sent by military applicants, 45 contestants turned out to be employees of rocket and space industry enterprises.

As is known, the principle of open selection has long made it possible to consider candidates not only for military pilots, but also for representatives of civilian professions – engineers, doctors and scientists. This year, the group of medical specialties was expanded with the basic medical specialty “General Medicine”.

However, in the process of passing tests, including professional selection, physical education, medical and psychological examination, some of those applying for a place in the cosmonaut corps were found not to meet the requirements. As a result, only 41 people were invited to the face-to-face selection stage – 33 men and 8 women.

Many of them explained their desire to become cosmonauts by the need for professional growth, self-improvement, and the desire to benefit the domestic astronautics.

At the moment, the internal selection is in full swing; out of 41 contestants, only two successfully completed it. Now they are awaiting approval of the decision by the Medical Expert Commission.

The final decision on who will be included in the cosmonaut corps will be made in the spring. This year it is planned to select 4-6 new cosmonauts.

Help “MK”. As reported at the XV International Scientific and Practical Conference “Manned Flights into Space,” which was held in November 2023, the average competition for a place in the cosmonaut corps is about 40 people. Thus, in the open selection of 2012, 8 people were selected (38 people per place), in 2017-18 – 8 people (53 people per place), in 2019-20 – 4 people (46 people per place).