Humanity’s journey beyond Earth

To date, a total of 631 individuals from 43 countries have ventured into space, based on recorded accounts. 

This figure includes astronauts, cosmonauts, space tourists, and other non-professional travelers, with 82 women representing 13 nations among them. 

The United States tops the list, having sent 369 astronauts into orbit. The Soviet Union and Russia follow with 138 cosmonauts, while China is third with 24 space travelers. 

Other countries making notable contributions include Japan (14), Germany (13), Canada (11), France (10), Italy (8), and Saudi Arabia (3). Meanwhile, nations like Belgium, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Israel, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and Sweden have each sent two individuals. 

Additionally, more than 30 other countries—including India, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and South Africa—have each seen one of their citizens reach space. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko holds the record for the most cumulative time spent in space, surpassing 1,110 days over five missions. 

During one of his missions, he also served as a special correspondent for TASS on the International Space Station from September 2023 to September 2024. 

Among historic milestones are Alexey Leonov’s pioneering first spacewalk in 1965 and Valentina Tereshkova’s historic 1963 flight as the first woman in space. 

From the United States, Sunita Williams holds the record for the most spacewalking hours by a woman, while Susan Helms shares the record for the longest single spacewalk. 

Today, with active missions aboard the ISS and China’s Tiangong space station, new generations of astronauts and taikonauts continue to push the boundaries of human exploration beyond Earth.