Born in Lovech, Georgi Kakalov attended the Military Air-force School in Dolna Mitropolia.

After completing the five-year program, he served in the Bulgarian People's Army as a military pilot.

Meanwhile, he changed his family name to Ivanov, because his original surname Kakalov sounded very similar to "Кака" (excrements).

After intensive training, Georgi Ivanov was selected for the fourth mission under the Interkosmos programme, bringing Bulgaria to the 6th place among the countries that had their national space explorers.

Ivanov, along with Soviet cosmonaut Nikolai Rukavishnikov, was launched into space as part of the Soyuz 33 mission from Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 10, 1979, at 17:34 (GMT).