Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor

Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was born on 27 July 1972 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He pursued medicine, graduating as an orthopaedic surgeon from Aichi Medical University in Japan before furthering his medical training in the United Kingdom and Malaysia. He served as an orthopaedic surgeon at the National University of Malaysia hospital and simultaneously held a commission as a Major in the Malaysian Army Medical Corps — a dual career that reflected his remarkable energy and discipline.

In 2003, Malaysia's government announced the Angkasawan programme, a bilateral agreement with Russia linked to Malaysia's purchase of Sukhoi jet fighters. The programme sought to send a Malaysian citizen to space aboard the International Space Station. From thousands of applicants, Sheikh Muszaphar and one other candidate were selected and sent to Russia for training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.

On 10 October 2007, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor launched aboard Soyuz TMA-11 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, becoming the first Malaysian to travel to space and the first Muslim to be in space during the holy month of Ramadan. The latter fact raised unprecedented questions about Islamic practice in microgravity, prompting Malaysian religious authorities to issue a fatwa and guidelines on how to perform prayers, fast, and determine the direction of Mecca while in orbit — a historic intersection of religious scholarship and space science.

During his eleven days in space, he conducted medical and biological experiments related to liver cancer cells and microbes in microgravity. He returned to Earth on 21 October 2007 and was received as a national hero. He subsequently used his platform to advocate for science education, particularly for young Malaysians and Muslims worldwide, and has continued his surgical career alongside his public role.