Dorin Prunariu
Dorin Prunariu https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/05175722/AD-2026-Kathrin-Altwegg-4.png 480 270 Asteroid Day https://asteroidday-uploads.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/05175722/AD-2026-Kathrin-Altwegg-4.pngAsteroid Day Affiliation:
Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu (born on September 27, 1952, in Brașov) is the first Romanian cosmonaut. In May 1981, he carried out an eight-day space mission aboard the Soyuz-40 spacecraft and the Salyut-6 space station, thereby entering permanently into the history of world astronautics.
He is a widely recognized international expert in space policy, planetary defense, and global space governance. He has chaired key organizations such as the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) and the Association of Space Explorers (ASE), and his contributions were instrumental in the creation of Asteroid Day, officially recognized by the United Nations. In recognition of his achievements, the asteroid “10707 Prunariu” bears his name.
He has served as President of the Romanian Space Agency, Ambassador of Romania to the Russian Federation, and has actively represented Romania within the European Space Agency, where he was Vice-Chair of the Committee for International Relations.
In recent years, he has coordinated global efforts related to lunar exploration, serving as Chair of the Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA) and as the initiator of the Action Team for Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC), adopted by COPUOS in 2024.
A member of the International Academy of Astronautics and an honorary member of the Romanian Academy and the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Prunariu remains a major figure in the international space community and an active promoter of education and scientific culture. He is an aerospace engineer, holds a PhD in space flight dynamics, is a retired lieutenant general of the Romanian Air Force, married, the father of two sons, and the grandfather of four grandchildren.
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Watch Dorin on Asteroid Day LIVE:
2021 Asteroid Day LIVE Digital in Luxembourg
2020 Asteroid Day LIVE Digital in Luxembourg
2019 Asteroid Day LIVE in Luxembourg
2018 Asteroid Day LIVE in Luxembourg
2017 Asteroid Day LIVE in Luxembourg
Buy Dorin’s Books:
Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu – biografia unui cosmonaut
