Space Research and Technology Institute

Bulgarian Space Research Institute
Институт за космически изследвания към БАН

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Agency overview
Formed	1987
Type	Space agency
Headquarters	Sofia, Bulgaria
Owner	Bulgaria
Website	www.space.bas.bg

Solar-Terrestrial Influences Institute - BAS
Институт по слънчево-земни въздействия към БАН

Agency overview
Abbreviation	STIL-BAS
Formed	1990
Type	Space agency
Headquarters	Sofia, Bulgaria
Owner	Bulgaria
Website	www.stil.bas.bg

Space research in Bulgaria is coordinated by the Inter-Department Commission for Space Research (Bulgarian:Междуведомствена комисия по космически изследвания) [2] which is constituted from the deputy ministers of several ministries and representatives of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). Co-chairman is the President of BAS. The Commission includes the directors of the two main institutes of BAS conducting space research[3] – the Solar-Terrestrial Influences Institute (STIL-BAS) and the Space Research Institute (SRI)

The organized participation of Bulgarian scientists in space research started in 1969 when the Scientific Group of Space Physics (SGSP) at the Presidium of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was created . In 1974, based on the SGSP, the Central Laboratory for Space Research (CLSR) was founded . Bulgarian scientists successfully participated in the INTERCOSMOS Program, preparing experiments and designing equipment for several satellites and rockets. In 1972 the first Bulgarian space equipment, P-1, was launched into space. In 1979, the first Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov flew in space on board of Soyuz 33 space ship. In 1981 two satellites were launched - “INTERCOSMOS Bulgaria - 1300” and METEOR – PRIRODA, furnished entirely with Bulgarian equipment, aimed at studying the ionospheric-magnetospheric relationship and remote sensing of the Earth from space. In 1988 the second Bulgarian cosmonaut Alexandar Alexsandrov flew on board Soyuz TM-5 to Mir space station.

The Space Research Institute (SRI) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences succeeded the Central Laboratory for Space Research in 1987. The field of activity of SRI ranges over fundamental and applied investigations in space physics, astrophysics, image processing, remote sensing, life sciences, scientific equipment, preparation and realisation of experiments in the region of space investigation and usage from the board of automatic and navigated spacecrafts, investigation on control systems, air- and spacecrafts and equipment for them, activity for creation of cosmic materials and technologies and their transfer in the national economy, education of post-graduate students and master degrees.

The Solar-Terrestrial Influences Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences(STIL-BAS) [4] (initially Solar-Terrestrial Influances Laboratory) is an independent scientific organisation, found in 1990 by the Management council of BAS, to study the newly emerging area of solar-terrestrial influences as possible reason for global change as well as to meet the social needs for multidisciplinary study of relationship between events on Sun and their effects on geospace. STIL-BAS is a large, high quality national centre with multidisciplinary approach to fundamental space research and its application in solar-terrestrial physics, in situ and remote investigation of the geospace, planets and interplanetary space, study of global change and ecosystems and heliobiology and telemedicine/eHealth. Today STIL-BAS operates 4 space experiments: 3 on the International Space Station and the RADOM-7 experiment on the Chandrayaan-1 space probe