Alexander V. Zakharov, Russian physicist and astronomer

Alexander Valentinovich Zakharov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Валенти́нович Заха́ров, born June 1, 1941) is a Soviet and Russian chief scientist and astronomer serving at the Russian Space Research Institute (IKI).

He was a lead scientist of the failed Mars missions, Mars 96 and Fobos-Grunt.