Kazakhstan Sends All-Women Crew on Space Mission Trial

Kazakhstan has taken a bold step toward advancing its space research capabilities and promoting gender inclusion with the launch of the SANA-1 project - the country’s first all-female experimental space crew simulation.

The National Space Center in Astana announced the mission, describing it as a pioneering long-duration crew isolation experiment designed to replicate the physical and psychological conditions of spaceflight, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

The 10-day mission will take place inside a specially built ground-based spacecraft simulator, developed by Eurasian Ventures Group at the initiative of renowned Kazakh cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov.

The all-female crew includes:

Yulia Bakirova, crew commander and chief research fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the National Center for Space Research and Technology;

Assem Kuandyk, research fellow at the Laboratory of Heat Insulation Materials at the same institution;

Darya Komarova, senior engineer at the Republican Center for Space Communication;

Linara Zhadigerova, engineer at the Institute of Ionosphere’s Laboratory of Space and Geophysical Research.

Led by Dr. Alina Gutoreva, PhD in Psychology and head of the AI Lab at the Kazakh-British Technical University, the mission will focus on medical, cognitive, and operational studies, along with educational experiments aimed at preparing for future spaceflight conditions.

Deputy Chief of the Aerospace Committee under the Ministry of AI and Digital Development, Alan Kazkenov, underscored the importance of the SANA-1 initiative:

“This project marks a major milestone in developing Kazakhstan’s space research infrastructure and building human capital for future missions. More importantly, it showcases our commitment to empowering women in science and technology. The SANA-1 crew symbolizes both scientific progress and our national strides toward gender equality in space exploration.”

The SANA-1 mission is expected to lay the groundwork for Kazakhstan’s future ambitions in human spaceflight and strengthen its position in the international space research community.