South Africa’s connection to human spaceflight is compact but meaningful, tied to private funding and international collaboration rather than a large national program. Even a single name can highlight the pathways citizens have taken to reach orbit and what that says about the country’s scientific and entrepreneurial ties.
There are 1 South African Astronauts, ranging from Mark Shuttleworth. For each entry, you’ll find below Birthdate (YYYY-MM-DD),First flight (YYYY-MM-DD),Role (orbital/suborbital), presented so you can quickly see when they were born, when they first flew, and whether the mission was orbital or suborbital — you’ll find below.
Who is the South African astronaut listed here?
Mark Shuttleworth is the South African who traveled to space as a privately funded spaceflight participant, flying to the International Space Station in 2002; he’s best known as a tech entrepreneur and was the first South African to go to space.
What do the listed columns tell me and why are they useful?
Birthdate gives age and generational context, First flight (YYYY-MM-DD) shows the exact mission date for timeline reference, and Role (orbital/suborbital) clarifies the mission type so readers can distinguish long-duration orbital visits from shorter suborbital flights.
South African Astronauts
| Name | Birthdate (YYYY-MM-DD) | First flight (YYYY-MM-DD) | Role (orbital/suborbital) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Shuttleworth | 1973-09-18 | 2002-04-25 (Soyuz TM-34) | Spaceflight participant (tourist)/orbital |
Images and Descriptions
Mark Shuttleworth
South African entrepreneur and the first citizen of an African country to travel to space; flew to the International Space Station as a paying spaceflight participant in April 2002, later founded Canonical and has funded space and education initiatives.
Enjoyed this article?
Get daily 10-minute PDFs about astronomy to read before bed!
Sign up for our upcoming micro-learning service where you will learn something new about space and beyond every day while winding down.
