AKIPRESS.COM - Uzbekistan plans to send its first national astronaut into space by October 2028, Mukhiddin Ibragimov, Deputy Director of the Space Research and Technology Agency (“UzSpace” Agency), said.

Ibragimov said the mission is expected to last 14 days. Uzbekistan is currently holding talks with the United States, Russia, and China – the three countries capable of conducting human spaceflight missions, Kun.uz reported.

All sides have reportedly expressed readiness to cooperate. The Uzbek astronaut is set to return with the results of scientific experiments in areas including medicine, biology, genetics, and other priority fields.

Candidates must be aged between 27 and 40, hold a university degree, stand between 160 and 190 cm tall, weigh between 50 and 95 kg, and have proficiency in foreign languages.

Officials had earlier said the astronaut selection process would be organized as a nationwide program. A special state commission is set to be established to oversee the selection, training and flight of the country’s future astronauts.