MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/. Cosmonaut candidates face rigorous requirements during the cosmonaut selection process, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov said in an interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.

"Let [many candidates] come, we would be delighted - it will show their interest. But the most important thing is that the selection process is still rigorous. Because there are very important criteria related to both a person’s health and professional training - they must have either a technical or medical education, and at least three years of experience in the field. And the selection process is for candidates aged under 35 years," the head of the state space corporation said.

The new, fifth, open recruitment process for the cosmonaut corps began on February 4. It will be held in two stages: remotely with the submission of documents and in-person with testing of the necessary skills and performance. The selection competition is being handled by the Cosmonaut Training Center, together with representatives of the Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (commonly known as RSC Energia) and the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Candidates for the cosmonaut corps must be no older than 35 years as of the end of 2025, have a higher education in the exact, natural, or medical sciences, with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 4, and have at least three years of work experience in their chosen field. Absence of chronic illnesses and good physical condition are also required.

The first-ever Russian Space Week is taking place from April 6 to 12, 2026, and is timed to coincide with the 65th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s legendary space flight. The decree establishing this annual event was signed by the Russian president on December 29, 2025. Roscosmos is the organizer. TASS is the information partner of Space Week 2026.