The message reads, in part:
“You are known and truly respected as a person of courage, strong in spirit, and a true professional.
Your work at the legendary Special Design Bureau [now Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia] under the outstanding designer Sergei Korolyov, your active involvement in developing and testing aircraft and spacecraft, and of course your important and multi-faceted missions in orbit are all part of your great and significant personal contribution to developing our country’s space sector.”