Al Jazeera counts 746 people who have travelled beyond Earth. The next phase of human spaceflight is being shaped by new national programs and commercial missions.
By October 2026, at least 746 people from 52 countries had travelled to space, according to Al Jazeera’s count. The milestone illustrates how access to orbit has changed since Sputnik 1 launched in 1957. World Space Week runs from Oct. 4 to 10, and this year’s “Rocket Revolution” theme reflects the growth of commercial launches, reusable rockets and national space programs.
Human spaceflight began on April 12, 1961, when Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth in Vostok 1 in 108 minutes. Since then, people from dozens of countries have flown on US, Russian and commercial spacecraft. Yet only three countries have independently launched people into space: the Soviet Union and Russia, the United States, and China. India is seeking to join them through its Gaganyaan program.
The total of 746 depends on where space is defined to begin. Al Jazeera used the Karman line at 100 kilometers, although some US organizations use a threshold of about 80 kilometers. Its count includes 369 US citizens, 138 citizens of the Soviet Union and Russia combined, and 29 Chinese citizens. It also includes people with dual nationality and those who flew for countries that no longer exist.
Arab countries have also sent people to space. Sultan bin Salman became the first Arab space traveler in 1985. Syrian cosmonaut Muhammad Faris flew under the Interkosmos program in 1987. Emirati astronauts Hazzaa al-Mansoori and Sultan al-Neyadi later visited the International Space Station, as did Saudi nationals Ali al-Qarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. Barnawi became the first Saudi woman in space.
Women account for about 15% of space travelers, or 112 of the 746. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space in 1963. American Sally Ride followed 20 years later. Commercial flights have also widened the age range. The median age at first flight is about 40, but Oliver Daemen flew at 18 and Ed Dwight at 90.
NASA’s Artemis II mission carried four astronauts around the Moon in 2026 aboard Orion. NASA said the crew travelled about 406,771 kilometers from Earth, setting a human-spaceflight record. Artemis III is planned for 2027 as a low Earth orbit test of Orion and commercial lunar landers. NASA now targets the first lunar landing of the program for early 2028, during Artemis IV.
India is preparing uncrewed tests of its crew capsule, parachutes and rescue systems before the first crewed Gaganyaan flight, expected in 2027. China aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030. It is developing the Long March 10 rocket, Mengzhou crewed spacecraft and Lanyue lunar lander. The programs are changing the question that defined the early space age: the issue is no longer only who can reach space, but how many countries and people will be able to do so.