Oleg Kotov, born in 1965 in Simferopol, built a career bridging medicine and orbital flight. After graduating from the S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy in 1988, he transitioned from a military physician specializing in altitude physiology to a veteran cosmonaut, logging over 526 days in space across multiple long-duration missions on the International Space Station.
Early Career and Training
Before joining the cosmonaut corps, Kotov served at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center as a deputy lead test-doctor. His early work focused on human performance in extreme environments, including the biomedical support of spacewalks. Selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 1996, he underwent basic training before receiving his qualification in 1998. He later represented the Gagarin center at the Johnson Space Center and led the CAPCOM branch.
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Kotov flew three primary spaceflight missions. His first, Expedition 15 in 2007, concluded with a ballistic re-entry that landed the Soyuz TMA-10 capsule significantly off-target. In 2010, he served as commander for Expedition 23, during which he manually piloted an errant Progress M-05M supply craft to the station using the TORU system. He returned to the station in 2013 for his final mission, Expedition 38.
Extravehicular Activity
Throughout his service, Kotov participated in multiple spacewalks to perform critical maintenance and scientific tasks. These included installing debris protection panels on the Zvezda module and deploying scientific hardware. In November 2013, he completed a high-profile spacewalk with Sergey Ryazansky, during which they carried the Olympic torch for the 2014 Winter Games. Other activities involved camera installations and electrical cable routing for external hardware experiments.
Fast facts
- Born: 1965, Simferopol
- Education: Kacha Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy
- Military Rank: Colonel
- Total Time in Space: Over 526 days
- Key Award: Hero of the Russian Federation
- Expeditions: 15, 23, 38
- Languages: Russian
Questions readers ask
What medical background does Oleg Kotov have?
He is a trained physician and former test-doctor who specialized in altitude physiology and human spaceflight effects.
Did Kotov command any missions?
Yes, he served as the commander for International Space Station Expedition 23 in 2010 and Expedition 38 in 2013-2014.
Achievements
- Educated at S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy and Kacha Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots
- Worked as astronaut, physician and flight engineer
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