Published By: Sayan Paul

On This Day, 2003 - Yuri Malenchenko Became The First To Marry In Space: Here's The Story Behind The Wedding

Yuri Malenchenko is a former commander of the International Space Station.

Destination weddings have become almost a norm in recent years. Of course, the joy of tying the knot in an exotic location - be it mountains or beaches - is indeed unmatched. But hold on, what if I tell you that long before these "destination weddings" became cool, there was a couple who had dreamed even bigger and got hitched in the space! No, it's certainly not the concept of a Hollywood sci-fi film. The wedding did happen in reality - literally "among the stars"!

On August 10, 2003, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, while in space, married her ladylove Ekaterina Dmitrieva, who was at the NASA headquarters. The wedding took place through a satellite video link. Yuri was wearing his space uniform accompanied by a bow tie, while Dmitriev donned a white dress. The two exchanged vows, and created history by making it the first-ever space wedding (although one of them was on Earth).

Credit: Windancer2706

"As Yuri was further away, he was closer to me because of the communication we have," said Dmitriev later in an interview.

So, today marks the 21st anniversary of the firstand onlyspace wedding. On this occasion, let's have a throwback to that time and learn the story behind the wedding.

Yuri Malenchenko & Ekaterina Dmitrieva - The Love Story

Yuri Malenchenko is a retired Russian cosmonaut with numerous accomplishments to his credit. Having spent more than two years in orbit (on both Mir and the International Space Station) in total, he ranks third for career time in space. And he is the recipient of several prestigious accolades, including the Hero of the Russian Federation award, the country's highest honor.

Credit: iss

In 2003, Yuri was in Houston, training as a crew commander for his upcoming space mission. One day, he met Dmitriev at a party in honor of Yuri Gagarin and the first-ever manned space flight.

The two soon fell in love. They started having a long-distance relationship as Yuri was then in Russia, and Dmitriev in the US.

Making History - The First-Ever Wedding in Space

Yuri proposed to Dmitriev just a few months before the launch of his space mission. Their wedding was scheduled for August 2003 after he would come back from space. And then something happened that was beyond their plan.

The cosmonaut, while already in orbit, learned that the mission was extended till October for some reason. But instead of postponing the ceremony, the couple decided to do a space wedding!

It wasn't an easy affair at all. Obviously, they had to get permission from the authorities. Also, a bow tie and a wedding ring for Yuri were delivered to the ISS through a spacecraft. And finally, on August 10, they turned their dream into reality - and how!

Credit: West Coast Weddings Ireland

Notably, Malenchenko returned to earth safely that October. They tied the knot in a church in Yaroslavl the following June.

Some Interesting Facts to Know 

Yuri was 41 when he met a 27-year-old Dmitriev in Houston.

Edward Lu, another astronaut on the ISS at that time, served as best man for Yuri. He even played the wedding march on a portable keyboard.

There was no press conference from either the Russian Mission Control or NASA about the wedding as it was considered a "private business".

The Russian space officials didn't actually want this space wedding to take place. According to the agency, no one “has the right to make personal use of the space station”. However, they finally allowed it under some conditions.

Ever since that historic event, the Russian cosmonauts are now required to sign a "no space wedding" contract before their space missions.