List of spaceflight records

Extreme benchmarks set off Earth by astronauts, launchers and probes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Records and firsts in spaceflight are broadly divided into crewed and uncrewed categories. Records involving animal spaceflight have also been noted in earlier experimental flights, typically to establish the feasibility of sending humans to outer space.

The first space rendezvous was accomplished by Gemini 6A and Gemini 7 in 1965.

The notion of "firsts" in spaceflight follows a long tradition of firsts in aviation, but is also closely tied to the Space Race. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet Union and the United States competed to be the first countries to accomplish various feats. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial orbital satellite. In 1961, Soviet Vostok 1 cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to enter space and orbit the Earth, and in 1969 American Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the Moon.

During the 1970s, the Soviet Union directed its energies to human habitation of space stations of increasingly long durations. In the 1980s, the United States began launching its Space Shuttles, which carried larger crews and thus could increase the number of people in space at a given time. Following their first mission of détente on the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the Soviet Union and the United States again collaborated with each other on the Shuttle-Mir initiative, efforts which led to the International Space Station (ISS), which has been continuously inhabited by humans for over 20 years.

Other firsts in spaceflight involve demographics, private enterprise, and distance. Dozens of countries have sent at least one traveler to space. In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space, aboard Vostok 6. In the early 21st century, private companies joined government agencies in crewed spaceflight: in 2004, the sub-orbital spaceplane SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded crewed craft to enter space; in 2020, SpaceX's Dragon 2 became the first privately developed crewed vehicle to reach orbit when it ferried a crew to the ISS. As of 2026, the uncrewed probe Voyager 1 is the most distant artificial object from the Earth, part of a small class of vehicles that are leaving the Solar System.

First independent suborbital and orbital human spaceflight by country

More information Country, Mission ...
Country Mission Crew Spacecraft Launch vehicle Date Type Notes
Soviet Union USSR[1] Vostok 1[1] Yuri Gagarin[1] Vostok 3KA[1] Vostok-K[1] 12 April 1961[1] Orbital[1]
United States USA[2] Mercury-Redstone 3 (Freedom 7)[2] Alan Shepard[2] Mercury Spacecraft No.7[2] Mercury-Redstone[2] 5 May 1961[2] Sub-orbital[2]
United States USA[3] Mercury-Atlas 6 (Friendship 7)[3] John Glenn[3] Mercury Spacecraft No.13[3] Atlas LV-3B 20 February 1962[3] Orbital[3]
Soviet Union USSR Soyuz 18A Vasily Lazarev, Oleg Makarov Soyuz 7K-T Soyuz 11A511 5 April 1975 Sub-orbital The mission was intended to be orbital, but a fault in the launch vehicle prevented the spacecraft from reaching orbit.
Russia Russia Soyuz TM-14 Aleksandr Viktorenko, Aleksandr Kaleri, Klaus-Dietrich Flade Soyuz-TM Soyuz-U2 17 March 1992 Orbital First Soyuz mission to occur after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
China China[4] Shenzhou 5[4] Yang Liwei[4] Shenzhou spacecraft[4] Long March 2F[4] 15 October 2003[4] Orbital[4]
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Human spaceflight firsts

Note: Some space records are disputed as a result of ambiguities surrounding the border of space. Most records follow the FAI definition of the space border which the FAI sets at an altitude of 100 km (62.14 mi). By contrast, US agencies define the border of space at 50 mi (80.47 km).

More information First, Person(s) ...
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Most spaceflights

Most launches from Earth

Note: The six SpaceShipTwo flights surpass the U.S. definition of spaceflight (50 mi (80.47 km)), but fall short of the Kármán line (100 km (62.14 mi)), the definition used for FAI space recordkeeping.

Most orbital launches overall

  • 7 launches
    • John W. Young (USA[25]) launched from Earth 6 times (two Gemini, two Apollo Command Module, two Space Shuttle) and from the Moon once (Apollo Lunar Module Ascent Stage) (1965–1983)
    • Jerry L. Ross (USA[16]), Space Shuttle (1985–2002)
    • Franklin Chang Díaz (Costa Rica/USA*[16]), Space Shuttle (1986–2002)

Most orbital launches from Earth

Largest number of different launch vehicles (overall)

  • 4 launch vehicles
    • John W. Young (USA) – launched from Earth aboard a Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle, and launched from the Moon aboard the Apollo Lunar Module Ascent Stage

Largest number of different spacecraft at launch (from Earth only)

  • 3 spacecraft
    • Walter Schirra (USA) – launched aboard a Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo (1962–1968)
    • John W. Young (USA) – launched aboard a Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle (1965–1983)
    • Soichi Noguchi (Japan) – launched aboard a Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and SpaceX Crew Dragon (2005–2020)
    • Shane Kimbrough (USA) – launched aboard a Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and SpaceX Crew Dragon (2008–2021)
    • Akihiko Hoshide (Japan) – launched aboard a Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and SpaceX Crew Dragon (2008–2021)
    • Thomas Marshburn (USA) – launched aboard a Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and SpaceX Crew Dragon (2009–2021)
    • Koichi Wakata (Japan) – launched aboard a Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and SpaceX Crew Dragon (1996–2022)
    • Peggy Whitson (USA) – launched aboard a Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and SpaceX Crew Dragon (2002–2025)
    • Michael López-Alegría (USA) – launched aboard a Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and SpaceX Crew Dragon (1995–2024)
    • Michael Barratt (USA) – launched aboard a Soyuz, Space Shuttle, and SpaceX Crew Dragon (2009–2024)
    • Barry Wilmore (USA) – launched aboard a Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and Boeing Starliner (2009–2024) (landed in a SpaceX Crew Dragon in 2025)
    • Sunita Williams (USA) – launched aboard a Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and Boeing Starliner (2006–2024) (landed in a SpaceX Crew Dragon in 2025)
    • Michael Fincke (USA) – launched aboard a Soyuz, Space Shuttle, and SpaceX Crew Dragon (2004–2025)

Largest number of different launch sites

Notes:

  • Seven of the twelve Apollo program moonwalkers launched from what was then called Cape Kennedy Air Force Station as part of the Mercury or Gemini programs. On their respective Lunar Landing Mission those seven launched twice. All Apollo Lunar Landing missions that landed on the moon launched from the Kennedy Space Center and when the lunar surface portion of their mission was complete, launched from the surface of the moon to meet up with the Apollo Command Module in lunar orbit.
  • SpaceShipTwo flights are suborbital. SpaceShipTwo flights surpass the U.S. definition of spaceflight (50 mi (80.47 km)), but fall short of the Kármán line (100 km (62.14 mi)), the FAI definition used for most space recordkeeping.

Duration records

Total human spaceflight time by country

More information Nation, Total persons ...
Total Human Spaceflight statistics by nation [26] [27]
Nation Total persons Total person flights Total in orbit (@ update)* Total person days*+ % of Total person days
TOTAL64514161476252.28-
1
 Russia
 Soviet Union
141305334522.17
0.455781864591207
 United States372914328829.21
0.379792823368199
 China284435324.07
0.0635454369580232
 ESA457414103.47
0.0531932107479923
 Japan142802416.31
0.0310552075425937
 Italy815-1158.81
0.0155415667619821
 Germany1318-1036.43
0.0139002075207579
 France11201879.66
0.0111137284371228
 Canada12200730.86
0.00974831335813361
 Netherlands23-210.69
0.00282569876998486
 Denmark12-208.94
0.00280222842811797
 Belgium23-207.65
0.00278498890319908
 United Arab Emirates22-193.82
0.00259947075254571
 United Kingdom22-193.81
0.00259928447999121
 Sweden23-48.39
0.000648945638991657
 Switzerland14-42.50
0.000570021957650392
 Israel22-33.01
0.000442667412139364
 Poland22-28.04
0.000376093601161389
 India22-28.03
0.00037588870135144
 Hungary22-27.99
0.000375376451826567
 Saudi Arabia33-25.52
0.000342294446147529
 Turkey11-21.65
0.000290398912464082
 Spain12-18.78
0.00025189637544912
 Ukraine11-15.69
0.000210432104817623
 Belarus11-13.78
0.000184791687690823
 Bulgaria22-11.80
0.000158238535046978
 Malaysia11-10.88
0.000145972487333212
 South Korea11-10.88
0.000145972487333212
 South Africa11-9.89
0.000132672626941977
 Brazil11-9.89
0.000132598117920178
 Kazakhstan11-9.84
0.000132011359373506
 Afghanistan11-8.85
0.00011871149898227
 Syria11-7.96
0.000106771428238879
 Czechoslovakia11-7.93
0.000106324374108081
 Austria11-7.93
0.000106287119597181
 Slovakia11-7.91
0.000106138101553582
 Cuba11-7.86
0.00010545820672966
 Mongolia11-7.86
0.000105448893101935
 Vietnam11-7.86
0.000105448893101935
 Romania11-7.86
0.00010543957947421
 Mexico11-6.88
9.22421689879497e-05
 Malta11-3.61
4.83563551479639e-05
 Australia11-3.61
4.83563551479639e-05
 Norway11-3.61
4.83563551479639e-05
Astronauts currently in space:
France Sophie Adenot
Russia Andrey Fedyaev
China Wu Fei
United States Jack Hathaway
China Zhang Hongzhang
Russia Sergey Kud-Sverchkov
China Zhang Lu
United States Jessica Meir
Russia Sergei Mikayev
United States Christopher Williams
Data on days in space accurate as of 2026-04-12. Astronauts in space right now accurate as of 2026-04-15.
* includes those in orbit at time table was updated
+TOTAL person days in orbit will not match the sum of the totals for individual nations as some individuals are dual citizens (based solely on those identified as such by spacefacts.de - see table references).
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Most time in space

The record for most time in space is held by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, who has spent 1,111 days in space over five missions. He broke the record of Gennady Padalka on 4 February 2024 at 07:30:08 UTC during his fifth spaceflight aboard Soyuz MS-24/25 for a one year long-duration mission on the ISS.[28] He later became the first person to stay 900, 1,000, and 1,100 days in space on 25 February 2024, 4 June 2024, and 12 September 2024 respectively.[29][30] Gennady Padalka is currently second, having spent 878 days in space. He himself had broken the all-time duration record on 28 June 2015 when he surpassed the previous record holder, cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who spent 803 days, 9 hours and 39 minutes (about 2.2 years) during six spaceflights on Soyuz, the Space Shuttle, Mir, and the International Space Station.[31][32][33]

As of 1 May 2026,[34] the 50 space travelers with the most total time in space are:

Color key:

  •   Currently in space
  •   Active
  •   Retired
  •   Deceased
More information Rank, Person ...
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Ten longest human spaceflights

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Longest single flight by a woman

NASA astronaut Christina Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days), returning on February 6, 2020.[40] During Expedition 61, she surpassed NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson's 289 days from 2016 to 2017.

Longest continuous occupation of space

An international partnership consisting of Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and the member states of the European Space Agency have jointly maintained a continuous human presence in space since 31 October 2000 when Soyuz TM-31 was launched. Two days later, it docked with the International Space Station.[16][43] Since then space has been continuously occupied for 25 years, 182 days.[16]

Longest continuous occupation of a spacecraft

The International Space Station has been continuously occupied by a Russian and US crew member since 2 November 2000 (25 years, 180 days).[16][43] It broke the record of 9 years and 358 days of the Soviet/Russian Space Station Mir on 23 October 2010.[43]

Longest solo flight

Valery Bykovsky flew solo for 4 days, 23 hours in Vostok 5 from 14 to 19 June 1963.[44] The flight set a space endurance record which was broken in 1965 by the (non-solo) Gemini 5 flight. The Apollo program included long solo spaceflight, and during the Apollo 16 mission, Ken Mattingly orbited solo around the Moon for more than 3 days and 9 hours.

Longest time on the lunar surface

Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of the Apollo 17 mission stayed for 74 hours 59 minutes and 40 seconds (over 3 days) on the lunar surface after they landed on 11 December 1972.[45] They performed three EVAs (extra-vehicular activity) totaling 22 hours 3 minutes, 57 seconds. As Apollo commanders were the first to leave the LM and the last to get back in, Cernan's EVA time was slightly longer.[45]

Longest time in lunar orbit

Ronald Evans of Apollo 17 mission stayed in lunar orbit for 6 days and 4 hours (148 hours)[46] along with five mice. For the solo portion of a flight around the Moon, Ken Mattingly on Apollo 16 spent 1 hour 38 minutes longer than Evans' solo duration.

Speed and altitude records

Fastest

The Apollo 10 crew (Thomas Stafford, John W. Young and Eugene Cernan) achieved the highest speed relative to Earth ever attained by humans: 39,897 kilometers per hour (11,082 meters per second or 24,791 miles per hour, about 32 times the speed of sound and 0.0037% of the speed of light).[16] The record was set 26 May 1969, upon atmospheric entry interface after returning from the Moon.[16]

The record for uncrewed spacecraft is held by the Parker Solar Probe at 191.7 km/s, about 1/1600 (or 0.064%) the speed of light, relative to the Sun. This speed was first reached in December 2024.

Farthest

The Artemis II crew (Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman) reached a distance of 406,771 km (252,756 mi) from Earth at 23:02 UTC on 6 April 2026 during their lunar flyby.[47][48][49]

The farthest uncrewed spacecraft is Voyager 1, at a distance of approximately one light day from Earth as of 2026. Launched in 1977, it became the first spacecraft to enter interstellar space on 25 August 2012.[50]

Highest altitude for crewed non-lunar mission

Polaris Dawn crew Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon fired their Crew Dragon Resilience's Draco thrusters on 11 September 2024 at 00:27 UTC, at 15 hours and 4 minutes after liftoff and achieved a record apogee altitude of 874.95 miles (1,408.10 km).[51]

Age records

Wally Funk flew in July 2021
Joe Walker in 1961

Earliest-born to reach space

Suborbital flight

Orbital spaceflight

Youngest

Suborbital flight

Orbital spaceflight

Oldest

Suborbital flight

Orbital spaceflight

  • Man: John Glenn (aged 77 years, 3 months, and 11 days), on STS-95 on 29 October 1998 (about 9 days, 20 hours).[52]
  • Woman: Peggy Whitson (aged 65 years, 4 months, and 16 days), on Axiom Mission 4 on 25 June 2025 (about 20 days, 2 hours and 59 minutes).[53]

Spacewalk

Youngest

Oldest

Spacewalk records

Most spacewalks (number and duration)

Both of these are the record for the largest total number of spacewalks by a male and a female, and the most cumulative time spent on spacewalks by a male and a female.

Most spacewalks during a single mission

Longest spacewalks

  • Man – Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong, 9 hours 6 minutes, during the Shenzhou 19 mission on 17 December 2024, as they installed space debris protection devices on the exterior of the Tiangong Space Station.[60]
  • Woman – Susan Helms, 8 hours 56 minutes, along with James Voss on an ISS assembly mission during Shuttle mission STS-102 on 11 March 2001. The spacewalkers were delayed early in their excursion when a device to help hold an astronaut's feet to the shuttle's robot arm became untethered,[61] and Voss had to retrieve a spare from storage on the exterior of the station's Unity module. After about six hours of work, the pair reentered Space Shuttle Discovery's airlock.

Greatest distance from a spacecraft during a spacewalk

  • All-time (and while on a planetary body[62]): 7.6 kilometers[63]:1144 (4.7 miles, 25,029 feet[64]), Apollo 17, Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt, EVA-2, December 12, 1972. During their second of three moonwalks, Cernan and Schmitt rode the Lunar Roving Vehicle to geological station 2, Nansen Crater, at the foot of the South Massif. As all spacewalks not occurring on a planetary body (the Moon) have involved short maximum distances from the spacecraft (see below), this remains the furthest distance that humans have traveled away from the safety of a pressurizable spacecraft, during an EVA of any type.
  • Orbital flight: about 100 meters (or 330 feet), Bruce McCandless, STS-41-B, February 7, 1984. With the exception of six Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) sorties in 1984 and a test of the Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) in 1994, all other orbital spacewalks have involved a safety tether, anchoring the spacefarer to the spacecraft at a short distance. Of all spacewalks to date, Bruce McCandless' first test of the MMU established an orbital EVA distance record from a spacecraft which remained unbroken by later untethered EVAs.[65]

Animal records

First animals in space

The first animals to enter space were fruit flies launched by the United States in 1947 aboard a V-2 rocket to an altitude of 68 miles (109 km).[66] They were also the first animals to safely return from space.[66] Albert II, a rhesus monkey, became the first mammal in space aboard a U.S. V-2 rocket on June 14, 1949, and died on reentry due to a parachute failure. The first dogs in space were launched 22 July 1951 aboard a Soviet R-1V. "Tsygin" and "Dezik" reached a height of 100 km (62 mi) and safely parachuted back to Earth.[67]:21

First animal in orbit

Laika was a Soviet female canine launched on 3 November 1957 on Sputnik 2. The technology to de-orbit had not yet been developed, so there was no expectation for survival. She died several hours into flight. Belka and Strelka became the first canines to safely return to Earth from orbit on 19 August 1960.

First Hominidae in space

On 31 January 1961, through NASA's Mercury-Redstone 2 mission the chimpanzee Ham became the first great ape in space.[68]

Longest canine single flight

Soviet space dogs Veterok (Ветерок, "Light Wind") and Ugolyok (Уголёк, "Ember") were launched on 22 February 1966 on board Cosmos 110 and spent 22 days in orbit before landing on 16 March.

First animals beyond low Earth orbit

An assortment of animals including a pair of Russian tortoises, as well as wine flies and mealworms flew around the Moon with a number of other biological specimens including seeds and bacteria on a circumlunar mission aboard the Soviet Zond 5 spacecraft on 18 September 1968.[66] It had been launched by a Proton-K rocket on 14 September.[66]

Zond 5 came within 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) of the Moon and then successfully returned to Earth, the first spacecraft in history to return safely to Earth from the Moon.[66]

Notable uncrewed or non-human spaceflights

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See also

Notes

  1. Mikkelsen was born in the United Kingdom, but is now a citizen of Norway. She will wear the flag of Norway on her spacesuit during the spaceflight.[21]
  2. Wang was born in China but lives primarily in Svalbard and since 2023 is also a citizen of Malta and Saint Kitts and Nevis through their golden visa programs. He will wear the flag of Malta on his spacesuit during the spaceflight.[22]
  1. making this the first "completed" human spaceflight by FAI definitions at that time
  2. Crew replenished by direct or indirect handovers.
  3. Crew replenished by direct handovers.

References

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