List of Dutch astronauts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As of 2026, the Netherlands is the country of birth to three astronauts. Two of the three astronauts flew to space on board a Space Shuttle while André Kuipers used the Russian Soyuz to reach space.
| Image | Name | Mission | Mission start | Mission duration | Space station | Mission objectives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Lodewijk van den Berg | STS-51B | April 29, 1985 | 7 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes | Scientific experiments in the Spacelab Module | |
 |
Wubbo Ockels | STS-61-A | October 30, 1985 | 7 days, 0 hours, 44 minutes | Scientific experiments in the Spacelab Module | |
 |
André Kuipers | Soyuz TMA-4 / Soyuz TMA-3 | April 19, 2004 | 10 days, 20 hours, 52 minutes | ISS | |
| Soyuz TMA-03M | December 21, 2011 | 190 days, 13 hours, 28 minutes | ISS | |||
Lodewijk van den Berg
The first Dutch-born astronaut to have been to space is Lodewijk van den Berg. He was born on 24 March 1932 in Sluiskil, Zeeland. Van den Berg was launched aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on April 29, 1985, as a Payload Specialist of mission STS-51B. During the seven-day mission, he conducted several experiments on crystal growth.
At the time of his flight, Van den Berg was not a Dutch citizen, having been naturalised as United States citizen; by Dutch law he had to revoke his citizenship.
Wubbo Ockels
The second Dutch-born astronaut and first Dutch citizen to have been to space is Wubbo Ockels. He was born on 28 March 1946 in Almelo, Overijssel. Ockels rocketed towards space aboard Space Shuttle Challenger on October 30, 1985 – just over half a year after Lodewijk van den Berg – as a Payload Specialist of mission STS-61A. He died on 18 May 2014 in Amsterdam.