Space – a new goal?

On May 14, 1981, Romania entered the history of space exploration, sending a man into space: Dumitru Prunariu.

Corina Cristea, 12.06.2026, 14:00

On May 14, 1981, Romania entered the history of space exploration, as the crew of the Soyuz 40 ship launched to the Salyut 6 orbital station also included Romania’s Dumitru Prunariu, alongside the Soviet astronaut Leonid Popov. After successfully docking with the orbital station, the two astronauts conducted scientific experiments in fields such as space medicine, biology, radiation physics and the study of the Earth’s magnetic field. The mission ended on May 22, after 7 days, 20 hours and almost 42 minutes spent in space.

Prunariu thus became the 103rd person to fly to space and the first Romanian to do so. Four and a half decades later, he is still celebrated as a symbol of Romanian ambitions and a role model for generations of young people dreaming to explore the Universe.

Dumitru Prunariu’s story is, however, more than just one man’s adventure; it reflects Romania’s involvement in international space programmes and raises the question as when will Romania be able to have a new astronaut? “We are continuing a space programme. Let’s not forget that in 1991 we founded the Romanian Space Agency as a public governmental institution. Since 2012 we have been full members of the European Space Agency. The only problem is that we don’t have another astronaut” says Dumitru Prunariu himself, who recalled his own experience on Radio Romania:

“What I achieved is a very important thing for Romania historically – it put Romania among the countries that have their own astronauts, that have developed space research, that are part of international institutions, international programmes. But this did not remain just a historical element, but was an opportunity for Romania and for myself to promote this achievement. Of course, I would have liked to have more astronauts. The historical context, the economic context, the international context has not allowed this until now. Although theoretically we have chances, in practice it is difficult without a more serious and slightly more costly determination from Romanian officials.”

Many wonder, moreover, why, after Prunariu’s success, Romania did not send anyone else into space. There are several explanations for this/ First of all, the 1981 flight was possible thanks to the Intercosmos programme, which offered special places for participating states, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this programme disappeared. Secondly, manned flights have become rarer and more expensive.

The European Space Agency (ESA) holds astronaut selections only at long intervals, and the competition is fierce. As an ESA member state, Romania has the right to take part in the astronaut selections organised by the agency and any Romanian citizen who meets the professional and medical criteria can apply. However, the competition is extremely tough, and the number of available places is limited. In addition, participation in space projects also depends on the level of national investments in ESA programmes. Dumitru Prunariu explains:

“Within the European Space Agency, selections are made with candidates from all member states, including Romania. The last selections ended in 2022, but out of over 12,000 volunteer candidates at European level and 255 from Romanian, only six were chosen in the end. And the final selection among the best, the very best, was made taken account each state’s contribution to European programmes. And in this respect, Central and Eastern European countries cannot compete against states like France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and other Nordic countries.”

The long-term prospects are, however, encouraging. Europe is investing in new lunar exploration programmes as part of collaboration projects with NASA and in the development of missions that will require additional personnel in the coming decades. As the international space activity expands, the chances of a new Romanian astronaut are increasing. Again, Dumitru Prunariu:

“All of us who have flown to space, whether we civilians or military, whether we flew 40 years ago, 50 years ago or whether we are flying now, promote good understanding and cooperation. We promote understanding of the problems of the planet and the search for solutions to them, environmental protection, protection of the Earth, eliminating waste and pollution and promoting good understanding between people. We have an association of space explorers, I was one of its founders, and it has grown from 25 astronauts and cosmonauts in 1985 to over 400 today and every year we hold planetary congresses, as we call them, in which we keep abreast with the space programmes of the countries we represent. Americans are flying there now, together with Russians, with Europeans, with Japanese, with Canadians, they are all citizens of the planet, they all get along and all cooperate for the well-being of the planet. The may have certain tasks when they return to earth, certain obligations to represent their own state, but when it comes to piloted space, everyone responds in unison in the same way.”

Along these lines, Dumitru Prunariu hopes that people would fight less among themselves but cooperate and find ways to respond peacefully to present day challenges in astronautics.