World Space Week, observed annually from October 4 to 10, celebrates the contribution of space science and technology to humanity. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared the week-long observance in 1999, with the dates marking two major milestones in space history.
October 4, 1957, marks the launch of Sputnik 1, the first human-made Earth satellite. October 10, 1967, commemorates the signing of the Outer Space Treaty, which established principles for the peaceful exploration and use of outer space.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, today, more than 80 countries have successfully placed satellites in orbit, while people from more than 50 countries have travelled to space. At least 746 people from 52 countries have crossed the recognised boundary of space, ranging from career astronauts and cosmonauts to paying space tourists.
The first human to travel to space was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who completed a 108-minute flight aboard Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961. His mission demonstrated that humans could survive launch, weightlessness and re-entry, giving the Soviet Union a major victory during the Cold War-era Space Race.
The US followed with its own human spaceflight programme, eventually achieving another historic milestone when NASA’s Apollo 11 mission landed humans on the Moon in July 1969. Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the lunar surface.
US, Russia dominate human spaceflight
The US and Russia remain far ahead of other countries in terms of the number of people they have sent to space. The US has sent 369 people to space, while the Soviet Union and Russia have sent a combined 138. China, which became the third country to independently launch humans into space, has sent 29 people.
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India and its space travellers
India’s connection with human spaceflight dates back to 1984, when Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to travel to space. He flew aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11 as part of the Interkosmos programme.
More than four decades later, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station. In June 2025, he flew aboard Axiom Mission 4, contributing data and research for India’s future human spaceflight missions.
Several other prominent astronauts with Indian roots have also travelled to space.
Kalpana Chawla, born in Karnal, became the first woman of Indian origin to travel to space. She flew on NASA’s Space Shuttle missions in 1997 and 2003.
Sunita Williams, a NASA astronaut of Indian-American heritage, has undertaken multiple long-duration missions to the ISS.
Sirisha Bandla, who was born in India and raised in the US, travelled to space in 2021 as part of Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 flight.
Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari commanded NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the ISS, which launched in 2021.
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From astronauts to space tourists
Human spaceflight is no longer limited to government astronauts. Commercial companies, such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, have opened the possibility of private citizens travelling to space, with passengers flying on suborbital and orbital missions.
The youngest traveller, Oliver Daemen, was 18 when he flew aboard a Blue Origin suborbital flight in 2021. The oldest, Ed Dwight, was 90 years old when he flew in 2024.
