Toktar Ongarbayuly Aubakirov born on 27 July 1946 is a retired Kazakh Air Force officer and a former cosmonaut.Toktar Aubakirov was born in Karkaraly district, Karaganda region, Kazakh SSR, which is now Kazakhstan. After graduating from the 8th grade of a secondary school he started working as a metal turner at the Temirtau foundry, whilst attending an evening school. In 1965 he joined the Armavir Military Aviation Institute of the Anti-Air Defence Pilots. He served as a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force on the Far East borders of the USSR until his acceptance into the M. Gromov Test Pilot's School in 1975.