Research division
Astronomy, Space Research and Technologies
Institutes and Academic Specialized Units
Within the division, research is carried out in the field of astronomy, astrophysics, aerospace systems and technologies.
Considerable success has been achieved in studying the development of stars and star clusters and in the search for planets outside the solar system. The achievements in the study of the Sun and the small bodies – the asteroids and comets in the solar system – are world recognized. They have been made thanks to the effective use of the National Astronomical Observatory “Rozhen” which is a national, regional and European astronomical center for research and education.
One of the main areas of the activity is satellite data acquisition and processing and remote observation of the Earth’s surface. Remote and direct methods and equipment for the exploration of the Earth space and planets used for various scientific and applied tasks have been developed. Scientific equipment and research systems for studies with rockets, satellites, planetary probes and piloted space flights have been developed. Data on climate change from solar and cosmic origin is collected. Significant experience has been gained in space biotechnology, biomedical space research and telemedicine.
News
Bulgarian technology measures radiation on the International Space Station
The Liulin-SET instrument, developed at the Space Research and Technology Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (SRTI – BAS) will fly into space on 19 February. The head of the team that developed the [...]
IA’s Scientific achievement of 2021 is the study of a comet – the Solar system’s oldest interstellar visitor
Source: ЕSO, O. Hainaut The Institute of Astronomy with National Astronomical Observatory-BAS (IA with NAO) has named the results of the observations of comet 2I/Borisov, also known as C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), scientific achievement [...]
Bulgaria is ready for full membership in the European Space Agency
A round table on 22 October 2021 marked the end of the Seventeenth International Scientific Conference “Space-Ecology-Safety SES 2021” at the Space Research and Technology Institute (SRTI) of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). [...]
Scientific Forum Seventeenth International Scientific Conference “Space-Ecology-Safety SES 2021”
Sofia, 20-22 October 2021 The Seventeenth International Scientific Conference "Space-Ecology-Safety SES 2021", dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the first human space flight and the 40th anniversary of the scientific programme for the satellites "Bulgaria [...]
40 years of National Astronomical Observatory Rozhen
The Institute of Astronomy of BAS celebrated the 40th anniversary of the National Astronomical Observatory Rozhen with a solemn assembly. The director of the Institute, Prof. Evgeni Semkov, presented the most significant achievements of the [...]
Hello, Space! Bulgaria calling
Scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences took part in the one-day scientific forum "Hello, Space! Bulgaria Calling" which took place on 26 July in Sofia Tech Park. The event culminated in a videoconference with [...]
Online workshop “Space weather, solar activity and data analysis” under the Horizon 2020 project STELLAR
In the period 12-15 July 2021, Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies /DIAS/, as a partner of the STELLAR project, with the Institute of Astronomy with National Astronomical Observatory "Rozhen" at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences [...]
12 April – 60 years since the first manned space flight
April 12 marks the International Day of Cosmonautics, and this year the 60th anniversary of the first manned space flight - the orbital flight of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The Space Research and Technology Institute at [...]
An interstellar comet is probably the most pristine object ever discovered
Image of comet 2I / Borisov obtained with the VLT telescope. Image credit: ESO New observations made with the participation of a scientist from BAS using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the [...]
National Astronomical Observatory – Rozhen turns 40 years old
Forty years since the official opening of the National Astronomical Observatory – Rozhen (NAO Rozhen) will be celebrated on 13 March 2021. In its first years, NAO Rozhen is a scientific astronomical complex of three [...]
The Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory will have a new robotic telescope
The Institute of Astronomy with National Astronomical Observatory (IA with NAO) has signed a contract for the production, supply and installation of a new telescope at Rozhen NAO. The new telescope will have a main [...]
New scientific infrastructure is helping Bulgarian astronomers explore space objects with unique radio observations
LOFAR station in Onsala, Sweden. The low-band antennas (10-90 MHz) are visible on the left, and the high-band antennas (110-240 MHz) - on the right. Source: ASTRON A new scientific infrastructure complex, coordinated [...]
Copernicus Hackathon – Sofia 2020
Copernicus Hackathon - Sofia 2020, which is part of the European Copernicus program, as been running since 24 April. The event is being held for the second time since the successful 2019 edition, and this [...]
The Space Research and Technology Institute presented new projects
Bulgarian space foods, drones’ capabilities demonstrations and the newest ideas for remote earth sensing from space are just some of the topics that the Space Research and Technology Institute at BAS (SRTI-BAS) spoke about on [...]
50 years of space research at BAS place Bulgaria on the world map of space countries
For 50 years, scientists at the Space Research and Technology Institute have made Bulgaria the 18th space state in the world, creating more than 150 devices which have been flying on the International Space Station [...]
Seven cosmonauts together at BAS on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the flight of Georgi Ivanov
An exhibition of photographs from the flight of the first Bulgarian cosmonaut can be seen until April 14 at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The exhibition is shown for the first time and is prepared [...]
ISRT-BAS apparatus operates in orbit around Mars
The Trace Gas Orbiter satellite launched under the European and Russian Space agencies’ project ExoMars reached Mars in October 2016. During TGO transit to Mars our dosemeter Liuli-MO (a unit of the Russian neutron detector [...]


















