How much do cosmonauts in Russia earn (per month, year) for flights and on the ground
What is the salary of cosmonauts in Russia and how much do NASA astronauts earn for a flight, the amount of bonuses and pensions. Examples of salaries for astronauts from around the world.
Since 1961, about 600 people from around the world have visited space . Of these, about 62% are Americans, about 22% are our compatriots.
People who have been in space are not only specially trained professionals, i.e. cosmonauts and astronauts, but also tourists. The first tourist was American millionaire Dennis Tito , who visited the ISS in 2001 . He spent 6 days in space and paid $ 20 million for his trip . If a tourist is willing to pay that kind of money for a trip to space, then how much do cosmonauts earn in Russia and around the world.
The salaries of Russian cosmonauts and cosmonauts from other countries differ not only in size, but also in the way they are charged.
For example, in Russia, their salary depends on many factors ( whether there was a flight into orbit, experience, class, etc. ), and in the United States, the salary of astronauts does not depend on space flights. They are paid only " naked " salary, the amount of which depends on the classification of the astronaut.
Contents
How much did Soviet cosmonauts earn?
What is the salary of a cosmonaut in Russia
The salary of an astronaut and an astronaut on the ISS
Astronaut salary: salary and additional payments
The main specializations of astronauts
Why does the salary of an astronaut on Earth and orbit depend?
If people argue whether officials deserve their high salaries, then about the salaries of cosmonauts, no one has any doubts that it is not in vain that they eat their bread and receive their salaries.
So how much do astronauts earn in rubles for their work?
How much did Soviet cosmonauts earn?
After a space flight, Yuri Gagarin became a hero and every second boy in the Soviet Union wanted to become an astronaut. Then no one thought about how much cosmonauts earn by doing their dangerous work.
To work as an astronaut for the good of the Motherland was perceived as the highest honor. Soviet cosmonauts were considered heroes and received, in addition to material rewards, universal recognition and respect.
Of course, the astronauts did not work for free and at that time their salary was considered more than decent. It exceeded the average salary in the country by about 2-3 times.
There were 72 cosmonauts in the Soviet Union, the most famous of them being Yuri Gagarin, Grigory Grechko, Alexei Leonov and German Titov .
Information about how much astronauts earn per month was secret until 2008. Only in 2008, this information was declassified and the country became aware that, for example, Yuri Gagarin received about 300-600 rubles a month . It is known for certain that in 1962 his salary was 514 rubles . For comparison, an engineer at that time received about 150 rubles , and a Volga car cost 6,000 rubles.
For the flight into space, Gagarin received a reward of 15,000 rubles and other "gifts" from the state:
Volga car;
4-room apartment;
Furniture and appliances to equip it;
Home for parents;
Clothes, bed linen and dishes.
The car, apartment and everything else were listed in the documents as " gifts ", and not a salary or bonus.
Interestingly, Gagarin's flight cost the country 3 trillion rubles, if translated into modern money.
Another cosmonaut Alexei Leonov , who went down in history as the first cosmonaut to go into outer space, received a salary of 5,000-6,000 rubles a month .
His colleague German Titov , who made the first space flight, the duration of which was more than a day, received 3000-4000 rubles .
Then, as now, the cosmonaut's salary depended on where he worked for a month: on the ground or in orbit. The wages in orbit were 2-3 times higher. And all the cosmonauts who have been in space received, in addition to monetary rewards, an apartment and a car.
how much do astronauts earn per month
The very first detachment, which included Yuri Gagarin, consisted of 20 people. And only one in 20 survived and retired upon reaching the age limit - Boris Volynov .
At that time, no one discussed whether such a salary was worth living because they worked and endangered their lives not for money, but in the name of the Motherland, honor and vocation.
What is the salary of a cosmonaut in Russia
From the very beginning, Russian cosmonauts were paid depending on where their work took place: on the ground or in space.
You can find out how much cosmonauts earn per month from representatives of Roscosmos .
They assured that the income of a cosmonaut from Russia is not less than that of an astronaut from America, Japan or Canada, but they did not name the exact amounts.
The size of the cosmonaut's salary is determined by the director of the Scientific Research Center for the Training of Cosmonauts. Yuri Gagarin ".
The salary of an astronaut depends on his position, for example, in 2019 the salary of a cosmonaut candidate was about 61,000 rubles , for an astronaut - 64,000 rubles , and for an instructor-cosmonaut - 89,000 rubles .
But this is only a salary that is paid regardless of whether the astronaut was in space or not. Also, if you do your job successfully and fulfill all responsibilities, then everyone, regardless of position, can count on a 25% increase in salary. At the end of the year, astronauts receive a bonus in the form of a “ thirteenth salary ”.
These salaries are paid to astronauts who work on the ground, but if you look at how much cosmonauts earn for a flight into space, then the amount per month of the flight reaches 2 million rubles , and the amount of the salary is automatically increased by almost 70,000 rubles a month. This does not include various awards.
Roscosmos did not name the exact amount of the award, explaining that it depends on the duration of the flight and its complexity.
The cosmonaut's salary grows with each subsequent flight into space (for 1 flight by 55%, for 2 by 75%, and for 3 by 120%).
NASA astronauts earnings
what is the salary of astronauts
NASA was created by the government in 1958 and reports to the President of the United States. All video materials obtained by NASA are freely available and can be copied by anyone interested in space.
In addition, the agency is willing to share its findings so that companies can use the information received and be able to create new products.
About 343 US astronauts have already been in space. NASA employs both military and civilian astronauts. The salary of a civilian and a military astronaut can vary significantly.
The salary of an astronaut (civilian) depends on experience and starts from $ 5,500 (if translated into Russian rubles, then 350,000) to $ 12,000 (760,000 rubles). This is the astronaut's monthly salary.
Military astronauts who come to NASA continue to be considered military personnel, so their salary depends on the classification.
The secret of how much military astronauts receive was revealed by Scott Kelly. He himself is a former military man and worked as an astronaut at NASA until 2016.
Kelly said that he and his colleagues received about $ 155,000 a year, i.e. approximately $ 13,000 a month .
The wages of American astronauts are strictly fixed. It does not depend on space flights, but depends on the experience and classification of the NASA employee himself. An astronaut who has already been in space is paid a bonus of $ 10,000 annually .
The astronaut classification starts with the GS-11 category and ends with the GS-14 category , which is considered the highest. It is received by those astronauts who have visited space more than once.
The GS-13 category is assigned to those who have been in space only once. The first category includes interns who earn up to $ 5,000 per month . After successfully completing all training, trainees move on to the next category, i.e. GS-12.
The salaries of our and American cosmonauts, according to Roskosmos, are practically the same. Perhaps this applies only to ordinary citizens, but the head of NASA receives a salary about 1.5-2 times more than an ordinary employee, and the head of Roscosmos Rogozin receives about 30,000,000 rubles a year , although he does not fly into space.
The salary of an astronaut and an astronaut on the ISS
The International Space Station (ISS) is an orbital station where a variety of experiments are carried out, i.e. it is essentially a space laboratory.
Related :
The ISS has existed since 1998 and is a joint project of 14 countries (Russia, USA, Japan, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, France, Switzerland and Sweden).
The ISS is a well-equipped laboratory where not only space exploration experiments are carried out, but diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's, etc. are studied. Also, the orbital station studies how the planets of the solar system arose and how space affects a living organism.
For example, not only annelids live on the ISS, but also mouse embryos.
Let's start with the Russian cosmonauts. For one month of work, a Russian cosmonaut on board the ISS will receive about 2,000,000 rubles , if he stays in space for at least 1 year, then his salary per year will reach 20,000,000 rubles .
The US government pays astronauts about 100-140 thousand dollars a year , regardless of whether there is a worker on the ISS or not.
Canada pays its astronauts between C $ 91,500 and C $ 178,500 . If translated into US dollars, then this is approximately $ 68,270 - $ 133,300.
Countries that are members of the European Space Agency pay astronauts approximately 63,150 - 90,550 euros per year, or 66,900 - 95,900 dollars per year.
It is impossible to find out what the salary of astronauts in Japan is, since it is a state secret.
Astronaut salary: salary and additional payments
The cosmonaut's salary is formed from the salary and additional payments (compensatory and stimulating).
Nobody, except representatives of Roscosmos, will say how much the cosmonauts have, but it can be calculated, since it is paid to cosmonauts in accordance with a special provision.
The cosmonaut's salary depends on the position. For example, the salary of a test cosmonaut and a research cosmonaut is 63,800 rubles a month, a candidate's salary is 60,900 rubles, and an instructor-cosmonaut is 88,450 rubles.
Additional payments that an astronaut can count on:
Monthly premium;
End of Year Award;
Incentive payment for special working conditions;
Seniority bonus;
Achievement premium;
For an academic degree;
For employees who successfully perform their duties, a bonus is provided. It is paid by the decision of the head of Roscosmos. The monthly bonus is 25% of the salary, and the bonus at the end of the year is up to one official salary.
An incentive payment for special conditions is paid monthly. Its size can reach up to 40% of the official salary.
All cosmonauts, regardless of their position, receive a seniority bonus. The bonus depends on the length of service in astronautics and can reach 40% .
Classes are assigned to astronauts for space flights. Grade allowance is paid monthly and as a percentage of the official salary:
1st grade - 55%;
2nd grade - 75%;
Grade 3 - 120%;
Astronauts with a scientific degree receive a monthly salary supplement in the amount of:
15% - candidate of sciences;
15% - Doctor of Science.
For a flight into space, an astronaut receives a lump sum payment, which depends on the duration and complexity of the flight.
The main specializations of astronauts
how much do they pay for a flight into space
When Gagarin flew into space, his profession was simply called an astronaut. At that time, only one requirement was presented to them - to fly into space and return. Now it is no longer enough just to fly into space. Cosmonauts perform many not only technical tasks on board, but also conduct experiments that require special knowledge.
Previously, test pilots became cosmonauts, but now the cosmonaut must have other professions in order to fulfill the duties assigned to him.
Cosmonauts have many specializations, but only 3 of them are basic:
Test cosmonaut , he controls the spacecraft and coordinates the actions of the crew;
The cosmonaut-engineer is responsible for all technical issues on the ship, and also repairs the ship in the event of an accident;
An astronaut-researcher , has a medical education, is responsible for the health of the team and conducts various experiments.
According to a survey conducted in 2020 by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), 74% of Russians believe that the cosmonaut profession is relevant and prestigious, and more than a third of those surveyed (38%) would not mind taking part in the cosmonaut selection competition. By the way, 1,404 applications were accepted for a set of astronauts in 2019-2020.
The total number of active cosmonauts around the world is about 240 people. The chance to become an astronaut, let alone make a flight into space, is only 1 in 50 million. For the fair sex, the chance is reduced by 10 times, i.e. the chance of becoming a woman astronaut is 1 in 500 million.
Why does the salary of an astronaut on Earth and orbit depend?
On Earth, astronauts receive a salary, to which additional payments are added. The more experienced the astronaut and the more space flights he has, the higher his salary.
Flying into space counts as a business trip. For example, Russian blogger and cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev said that he and his colleagues do not work for money. According to him, 400 dollars or about 26 456 rubles are paid for one day in space . The more days in space, the higher the salary. Troubleshooting, each EVA, overtime, loading and unloading are all billed separately. Based on this, it is difficult to say exactly how much an astronaut earns for a flight into orbit.
Most often, astronauts fly to the ISS and one mission lasts 6 months. If we multiply the daily salary of 26 456 rubles by 1 month, we get 793 680 rubles . For a business trip lasting 6 months, the cosmonaut will receive 4,762,080 rubles . Add additional allowances and monthly premiums to this amount, and you will get a good amount.
After a business trip to Earth, the astronaut is paid a one-time reward. And if during a business trip some new world record was set, then an additional bonus is paid equivalent to 50 times the minimum wage.
One can only speculate about how much they pay for a flight into space. If the salary of an astronaut on Earth can still be calculated, then in orbit it is difficult, since space is unpredictable. On average, a cosmonaut receives 2,000,000 rubles per month of work in orbit , which is not a lot, since they risk their lives every second.
Astronaut's pension
how much do cosmonauts earn in Russia
The average age of an astronaut is 35-40 years. American astronaut John Glenn is the oldest astronaut to travel to space. At the time of the flight, he was 77 years old. In Russia, the oldest cosmonaut is Pavel Vinogradov , at the time of the flight he was 59 years old.
Astronauts have the right to retire before they reach a certain age (65 for men and 60 for women). This is true, their work is dangerous and requires excellent health.
To retire, male astronauts must have worked in the field of astronautics for at least 25 years, and female astronauts for at least 20 years. If the astronaut had to leave work due to health problems, then the man's experience in the field of astronautics should be 20 years, and the woman's 15 years.
The cosmonaut's pension depends on the salary and length of service. According to Roscosmos, a test cosmonaut receives a pension of about 61,000 rubles a month , an instructor cosmonaut - 88,500 rubles . And those cosmonauts who have been in space receive a pension of about 70,000 rubles .
The question of how much cosmonauts earn is relevant, but no matter how much they receive for their work or retirement, they deserve it. According to cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, he and his colleagues do not work for money. But you must agree that a high level of danger requires high wages.
We must not forget that the path to the stars was paved at the cost of human lives. Since the first flight into space, about 20 astronauts have died all over the world. None of them know which flight will be the last