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List of space travelers by nationality

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of space travelers by nationality
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The criteria for determining who has achieved human spaceflight vary. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) defines spaceflight as any flight over 100 kilometres (62 mi), while in the United States, professional, military and commercial astronauts who travel above an altitude of 50 miles (80 km) are awarded astronaut wings. The majority of people who have flown into space have done so by entering Earth orbit. This list includes people meeting all three criteria, in separate subdivisions.

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Countries (and successor states) whose citizens have flown in space as of January 2024

The flags indicate the space traveler's nationality at the time of their flight. In cases of dual citizenship, the space traveler is listed under their primary residence. A secondary list appended to the entry for the Soviet Union shows the birth countries of space travelers not born in Russia. A similar list after the entry for the United States shows the birth countries of space travelers who were citizens of the US but were born elsewhere. Flags shown in the secondary lists are those in use at the time of the space travelers' birth.

Names in italic are space travelers who are not part of any national astronaut program or astronaut corps (Toyohiro Akiyama, Helen Sharman, the Space Adventures customers and the sub-orbital SpaceShipOne and Blue Origin pilots).

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Statistics

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As of March 2025, people from 47 countries have traveled in space.[1] 682 people have reached the altitude of space according to the FAI definition of the boundary of space. 721 people have reached the altitude of space according to the USAF definition, and 624 have reached Earth orbit.[2] 24 people have traveled beyond low Earth orbit and either circled, orbited, or walked on the Moon.

Of the 44 countries whose citizens have traveled into Earth's orbit, 25 have flown a single space traveler, and four others (Belgium, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) have flown two each. 94% of all space travelers have hailed from the following eight nations:

More information Men (blue) and women (red) in space by nationality (as of April 2025[update]) ...

1 Includes both national space programme activity and European Space Agency participation.
2 Includes astronauts from the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.

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Orbital space travelers

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Orbital space travelers (as of August 17th, 2024)

Afghanistan

Australia

Belarus

Brazil

Bulgaria

Canada

China

Cuba

Czechoslovakia


European Space Agency members

Some of these astronauts participated in national space programme activity unrelated to their home country's contemporary or subsequent membership of the European Space Agency.

Austria

Belgium

Denmark

France

Germany

Hungary

Italy

Netherlands

Norway

(Marcus Wandt, who went on Axiom Mission 3 in 2024, is listed under Sweden but also holds a Norwegian passport.)

Malta

Poland

Romania

Spain

Additionally, Michael López-Alegría, born in Madrid to an American mother and Spanish father who moved to California at the age of 9, holds both Spanish and American nationality. A six-time astronaut with the most recent mission in 2024, he is in the top five astronauts who have been to space most often, and has the second longest record for spacewalks, spending a total of 68 hours walking in Outer Space, which is also the longest among non-Russian astronauts and the longest in the 21st century. After retiring from NASA, López-Alegría commanded Axiom-1, the first ever all-private team of commercial astronaut mission in 2021.

Sweden

(Jessica Meir, who went on Soyuz MS-15 in 2019, is listed under United States but also holds a Swedish passport.)

Switzerland

United Kingdom

Additionally, Michael Foale was born in England to a British father and American mother. He is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States, and was raised and educated in England. He flew as a member of NASA's Astronaut Corps with dual British American citizenship.[5] Piers Sellers, Nicholas Patrick, Richard Garriott, Marcus Wandt and Mark Shuttleworth have dual nationalities.


India

Israel

Japan

Kazakhstan

Malaysia

Mexico

Mongolia

Russian Federation

All here listed cosmonauts were citizens of the Russian Federation at the time of at least one of their space flights. The Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA) cosmonauts born outside of Russia are marked with an asterisk (*). For cosmonauts who flew for the Soviet Union see the dedicated header. The Soviet space program had no unified space agency, the parts of the program which were claimed by today's Russian Federation became part of its Russian Federal Space Agency.

A

B

C

D

F

G

I

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

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T

U

V

Y

Z

Saudi Arabia

Slovakia

South Africa

South Korea

Soviet Union

All here listed cosmonauts were citizens of the Soviet Union at the time of at least one of their space flights. The cosmonauts born within republics of the Soviet Union other than the Russian Soviet Republic are marked with an asterisk (*) and their place of birth is shown in an appended list. For cosmonauts of ex-Soviet countries see their dedicated headers. The Soviet space program had no unified space agency, its parts were claimed by different ex-Soviet countries.

A

B

D

F

G

I

K

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M

N

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R

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Y

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Soviet cosmonauts born outside the Russian Soviet Republic

Azerbaijan SSR / Azerbaijan
Byelorussian SSR / Belarus
Kazakh SSR / Kazakhstan
Kirghiz SSR / Kyrgyzstan
Latvian SSR / Latvia
Ukrainian SSR / Ukraine
Uzbek SSR / Uzbekistan

Syria

Turkey

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United States

* Asterisked space travelers were born outside the United States

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

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N

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P

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W

Y

Z

Americans born abroad

  1. William Anders, born in Hong Kong to American parents.
  2. Fernando Caldeiro, born in Ituzaingó, Argentina.
  3. Canada Gregory Chamitoff, born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
  4. Italy Michael Collins, born in Rome, Italy to American parents.
  5. United Kingdom Richard Garriott, born in Cambridge, England.
  6. United Kingdom Gregory H. Johnson, born in South Ruislip, England.
  7. Panama Frederick W. Leslie, born in Ancón, Panama Canal Zone (now Panama).
  8. Taiwan Kjell N. Lindgren, born in Taipei, Taiwan.
  9. China Shannon Lucid♀, born in Shanghai, China (then under Japanese rule) to American parents.
  10. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands James H. Newman, born in the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (now Micronesia).
  11. West Germany Jasmin Moghbeli, born in Bad Nauheim, West Germany.'

Naturalized Americans

  1. Iran Anousheh Ansari♀, born in Mashhad, Iran. First Iranian-American in space. Fourth space tourist and first female space tourist.
  2. India Sirisha Bandla♀, born in Guntur, India.
  3. Costa Rica Franklin Chang-Diaz, born in San José, Costa Rica. First Costa Rican-American in space.
  4. India Kalpana Chawla♀, born in Karnal, India. First Indian-American in space.
  5. United Kingdom Michael Foale, born in Louth, England, dual British and American citizen.
  6. Spain Michael Lopez-Alegria, born in Madrid, Spain.
  7. Peru Carlos I. Noriega, born in Lima, Peru. First Peruvian-born person in space.
  8. United Kingdom Nicholas Patrick, born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, England, dual UK-US citizen.
  9. Australia Paul Scully-Power, born in Sydney, Australia.
  10. United Kingdom Piers Sellers, born in Crowborough, England, dual UK-US citizen.
  11. Hungary Charles Simonyi, born in Budapest, Hungary. Fifth space tourist.
  12. Australia Andrew Thomas, born in Adelaide, Australia.
  13. South Vietnam Eugene Trinh, born in Saigon, State of Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). First Vietnamese-American in space.
  14. Netherlands Lodewijk van den Berg, born in Sluiskil, the Netherlands.
  15. China Taylor Wang, born in Shanghai, China. First Chinese American in space.

Vietnam

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Suborbital space fliers

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Fliers marked with an asterisk flew into the upper atmosphere between 80 and 100 kilometres (50 and 62 mi), which counts as space flight by United States guidelines. Those without flew above 100 kilometres (62 mi), which counts as a space flight by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale guidelines.

Antigua and Barbuda

Austria

Australia

Brazil

Canada

Egypt

France

India

Israel

Italy

New Zealand

Nigeria

Pakistan

Panama

Puerto Rico

Portugal

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Singapore

  • Nicolina Elrick, first astronaut / space tourist, representing Singapore. — Blue Origin NS-26 (2024)

South Africa

Spain

The Netherlands

Turkey

Ukraine

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

The Soviet Union never launched a spaceflight intended as suborbital. The following people were launched aboard Soyuz 7K-T No.39 (also Soyuz 18a), which was intended as orbital, but aborted before reaching orbit.[8]

United States

United Kingdom

Dual citizens

Additionally, Hamish Harding was a dual national British and UAE and Vanessa O'Brien is a dual national American and British. Both chose to fly the British flag on their respective Blue Origin flights.[9] But, Timothy Nash who is a dual national South African and British flew under both flags. Some others like him also flew under two flags.

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See also

Notes

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