Creating a Unique Center
The Special Design Bureau of the Institute of Space Research (OKB IKI) was established in Frunze in 1964. At that time, the Soviet Union was actively sharing technologies and personnel. Russian engineers, representing the best minds in the country, came to the Kirghiz SSR not only to work but also to help form a new industry. They became not only mentors but also friends, and sometimes even family members of local specialists.
- We, the youth, built the OKB building on Toktogul–Shopokov ourselves, - recalls Kasyet Mukambetova, a labor veteran. - Our team gathered the best minds from across the Union. Most were Russian engineers, but among them were also Koreans, Kyrgyz, Ukrainians, and Uzbeks. We were like one big family. I, a young Kyrgyz girl, joined the department as a technician, and I was welcomed as one of their own.
With warmth, Kasyet remembered her colleagues.
- In our department, there was only one oscilloscope and two drawing boards. But what enthusiasm we had! The tasks from Moscow were very complex, and the discipline was strict. We had to be at the entrance by 7:50; being late was considered an emergency. But no one complained. We had a goal, and we understood that what we were drawing with a pen would be sent to the stars the next day.
From "Venus" to Innovative Technologies
Over three decades, the bureau developed more than 200 unique devices. Kyrgyzstan became the first republic in the USSR to implement laser technologies and integrated circuits. Frunze instruments were used to study the Moon, Mars, and even Halley's Comet.
- I joined in 1979 and worked with classified documentation, - shares OKB veteran Olga Shcherbatskikh. - I remember how we prepared for the "Venus–Halley" mission. I was responsible for control. An error in one diode could lead to a disaster millions of kilometers from Earth. We carried out the entire process: from the first lines on paper to the final tests of the finished device.
Hope for the Revival of Space Ambitions
The collapse of the Soviet Union was a heavy blow to the space industry. The OKB was closed, equipment was taken away, and the unique personnel that had been developed over the years were left idle or left. The premises were rented out, and silence reigned over the place where instruments for studying Mars were created.
However, on the eve of the 65th anniversary of Gagarin's flight, the situation is beginning to change. Thanks to the efforts of the Veterans Council and the support of the Russian embassy, the contributions of those who helped build space glory are finally being remembered.
- This year in Bishkek, with the support of the Veterans Council, events will be held dedicated to Cosmonautics Day. The Russian Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic also participated, and this year one of the former OKB employees, who continues to work in this field, is expected to come. We have hope that with Russia's support, a similar enterprise will be revived in Kyrgyzstan, - shares Olga Fedorovna.
Veterans of OKB IKI look to the sky with hope. For them, Cosmonautics Day is not just a date on the calendar, but a memory of a time when the borders between the republics were insignificant, and dreams of space knew no bounds. They are confident that the combination of the experience of older generations and modern technologies from Russia will allow Kyrgyz instruments to once again reach distant planets.
