ASTANA. Dec 29 (Interfax-AVN) - Yergazy Nurgaliyev has been appointed president of the company Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (Kazakh National Space Center) with the government's approval, the Kazakh Defense and Aerospace Industry Ministry reported.
Nurgaliyev, 62, served as special presidential representative at the Baikonur Cosmodrome from 1995 to 2004. From 2005 to 2007, he worked as deputy general director and later first deputy general director of the Russian-Kazakh joint venture Baiterek. From 2007 to 2014, he served as executive secretary of the National Space Agency (Kazcosmos). After the agency's reorganization, Nurgaliyev worked as deputy chairman of the Investment and Development Ministry's Aerospace Committee from August 2014 to October 2016. Since November 2016 until lately, he has occupied an identical office at the Defense and Aerospace Industry Ministry's Aerospace Committee.
Nurgaliyev is a veteran of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. For his contribution to the national space sector's development, he was granted the titles of Honorary Citizen of Baikonur and Distinguished Constructor of Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2011.
Nurgaliyev has been decorated with the Dostyk Order 2nd Class (Order of Friendship) and the Parasat Order (Order of Dignity).
Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary develops and implements interagency space exploration programs, introduces space technologies serving to attain Kazakhstan's socioeconomic objectives, and conducts research and development of space systems.
The company was earlier headed by Marat Nurguzhin, who was appointed deputy defense and aerospace industry minister on Wednesday. In his new capacity, Nurguzhin will supervise Kazakhstan's space exploration activities.