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.
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).
As of February 2024[update], people from 47 countries have traveled in space.[1] As of February 2024[update] 644 have reached the altitude of space according to the FAI definition of the boundary of space,[2] and as of February 2024[update] 681 people have reached the altitude of space according to the USAF definition and 610 people have reached Earth orbit.[3] 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 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 been contributed by the following eight nations:
1 Includes 70 ♂ and 2 ♀️ Soviet cosmonauts.
2 Includes both national space programme activity and European Space Agency participation.
3 Includes astronauts from the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.
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.
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.[6]
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 but flew under both flags. Similarly, Lina Borozdina flew under both Ukraine and US flags due to her dual citizenship.
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.
(Jessica Meir, who went on Soyuz MS-15 in 2019, is listed under United States but also holds a Swedish passport.)
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.[11] Piers Sellers, Nicholas Patrick, Richard Garriott, Marcus Wandt and Mark Shuttleworth have dual nationalities.
All of the locations below were part of the former USSR at the time of the cosmonauts' birth.
James Bagian, an engineer and physician, is the first, but surely not the last, Armenian astronaut.
*Due to the rise of space tourism (predominately done through private companies, such as but not limited to: Space X and Virgin) this list may change or may become outdated .