— Kazakh cosmonaut Talgat Musabayev, whose third flight into space was with the first self-funded space tourist, has died at the age of 74.

Musabayev, who later became the head of Kazakhstan's national space agency, was mourned by the country's president on Monday (Aug. 4).

"Talgat Amangeldiuly was a hero who conquered space three times ... and made our country famous to the world with his remarkable feat," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wrote in a telegram sent to the late cosmonaut's family and friends. "He devoted all his efforts to the development of the domestic aerospace industry and worked tirelessly."

"The bright memory of Talgat Amangeldiuly, who earned the respect of the people with his professional qualifications and respectful civic attitude, will not be forgotten," wrote the president. "May his faith be sound and his soul in heaven."

Chosen in May 1990 with the 11th and last group of cosmonauts prior to the fall of the Soviet Union, Musabayev's first two space missions were to the (now former) space station Mir.

As a member of Mir's 16th resident crew, Musabayev launched with cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko aboard Soyuz TM-19 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 1, 1994. It was the first Soyuz flight in 17 years with only first time fliers. The spacecraft's third seat was originally assigned to a veteran cosmonaut, but instead was used to hold cargo after a planned supply ship launch was canceled.

On Mir, Musabayev and Malenchenko were joined by Valery Polyakov, who was already seven months into his record 438-day stay in space. During Musabayev's four-month expedition, he conducted medical and science research and performed two spacewalks with Malenchenkp to repair insulation outside of the space station.

A month before Musabayev returned to Earth, Soyuz TM-20 arrived at Mir with Aleksandr Viktorenko and Yelena Kondakova, as well as German physicist Ulf Merbold, who as an ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut had earlier flown on two U.S. space shuttle missions. Kondakova was the third Russian woman fly into space and the first to serve on a long-duration station crew.

On Nov. 4, 1994, Musabayev landed with Malenchenko and Merbold aboard Soyuz TM-19 on the steppe of Kazakhstan, bringing his first spaceflight to a close.

Four years later, Musabayev returned to Mir as commander of Soyuz TM-27 and the 25th resident crew of the space station. On Jan. 29, 1998, Musabayev (adopting the call sign "Kristall") lifted off with cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin and ESA astronaut Léopold Eyharts of France.

Already on board Mir were cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Pavel Vinogradov, who returned to Earth with Eyharts 21 days later, and NASA astronaut Andy Thomas, who arrived on the space shuttle Endeavour five days earlier (the STS-89 crew undocking the orbiter the same day that Soyuz MS-27 launched).

During the 208 days of his second spaceflight, Musabayev took part in science research and conducted five spacewalks with Budarin to repair a solar panel after it was damaged during a collision with a Progress resupply ship a year earlier and to install a new orientation system for the orbiting outpost.

Musabayev was on the space station for the final docking by a U.S. space shuttle, Discovery, on June 4, 1988, and the arrival of his crew's replacements on Soyuz TM-28 two months later. He, Budarin and Yuri Baturin (who had arrived on Soyuz TM-28) touched down on Aug. 25, 1998.

For this third and final spaceflight, Musabayev reunited with Baturin to launch with American businessman and the world's first self-funded "spaceflight participant" Dennis Tito on an eight-day mission to visit the International Space Station. Again flying under the call sign "Kristall," Soyuz TM-32 launched on April 28, 2001, and docked to the ISS two days later.

On board the still-burgeoning orbiting lab, Musabayev and his crewmates were greeted by the Expedition 2 crew, cosmonaut Yuri Usachev and NASA astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms.

As the ISS's first taxi crew, Musabayev, Baturin and Tito transferred to Soyuz TM-31 — the spacecraft that delivered the station's first resident crew to orbit — and landed on May 6, 2001.

In total, Musabayev logged 341 days, 9 hours and 46 minutes on his three missions, including 41 hours and 13 minutes conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs). At the time of his death, Musabayev ranked 69th on the worldwide list of explorers by duration in space and 33rd by time on EVA.

He was the 309th person to launch into Earth orbit and the 316th to reach space, according to the Association of Space Explorers' Registry of Space Travelers.

Talgat Amankeldıuly Musabayev was born on Jan. 7, 1951, in the Kargaly district of Kazakhstan (then part of the Soviet Union). He graduated with a degree in radio electronic equipment from the Riga Civil Aviation Engineers Institute in Latvia in 1974 and with a degree in engineering from the Higher Military Aviation School in Akhtubinsk, Russia in 1983. He earned a doctorate in technical sciences in 2007.

An award-winning aerobatic flyer at the time he was chosen to be a cosmonaut, Musabayev served on the backup crews for Soyuz TM-13 and TM-18 before his first launch and Soyuz TM-25 prior to his second mission.

Musabayev retired from Roscosmos' cosmonaut corps in 2003. He served as deputy director of the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy and then in 2005 became general director of the joint Kazakh-Russian corporation Bayterek.

In 2007, Musabayev was appointed administrator of KazCosmos, Kazakhstan's federal space agency. He held that position until his death, while also serving as a member of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan from 2017 to 2023.

In return for his service in space, Musabayev was named Hero of the Russian Federation, People's Hero of Kazakhstan and an officer in France's Legion of Honour. He was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" and the NASA Space Flight Medal, the latter for his participation in the Shuttle-Mir program.

The largest lecture auditorium at the Riga Civil Aviation Engineers Institute, today the Transport and Telecommunication Institute, was named in his honor.

Musabayev is survived by his wife, Viktoria Voldemarovna Lazis, and two children, Daniyar Talgatovich and Kamila Talgatovna.