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Who was the first cat in space?
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A technician in a lab coat holds Felicette, the first cat sent into space, secured in a metal frame with wires, preparing to insert her into a cylindrical rocket capsule. Three views of a bronze statue of Felicette, a seated cat perched atop a globe, displayed on a pedestal in a workshop.
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A technician in a lab coat holds Felicette, the first cat sent into space, secured in a metal frame with wires, preparing to insert her into a cylindrical rocket capsule.
A technician holds FĂ©licette, the first cat sent into space FĂ©licette, the first cat sent into space, is secured in a frame that will be inserted into a cylinder and placed in a rocket, 1963.

Who was the first cat in space?

Written by
Amy McKenna
Amy McKenna is a senior editor, primarily focused on geography and history matters pertaining to sub-Saharan Africa. She joined Encyclopaedia Britannica in 2004. She was previously employed by Standard...
Amy McKenna
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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‱History

On October 18, 1963, FĂ©licette—a black-and-white tuxedo cat who hailed from France—was the first cat to be sent into space. She is still the only cat known to have completed, and survived, a trip into space.

By 1963 the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union was underway, with both countries having already sent animals into space: the Russians with Laika the dog in 1957 and the Americans with Ham the chimpanzee in 1961. France also had experimented with sending animals into space, starting with rats. The first rat, Hector, was successfully launched into space by France’s Center for Teaching and Research in Aviation Medicine (Centre d’Enseignement et de Recherches de MĂ©decine AĂ©ronautique; CERMA) in 1961.

The scientists at CERMA had plans for a larger animal astronaut. To that end, they selected 14 female cats to train for a suborbital mission. The feline training included being confined in a small container, being exposed to loud rocketlike noises, and being spun in a centrifuge. FĂ©licette—then known as C341—was among the most promising and was ultimately selected for the trip.

One cat, many names

As the potential cosmic cats were being trained, researchers reportedly avoided giving them names, so as not to become too attached to their test subjects. FĂ©licette was initially known only as C341. When news of her successful flight broke, the press dubbed the flying feline Felix, for the well-known cartoon cat. The name was changed to FĂ©licette after CERMA revealed the pioneering space cat was in fact female. FĂ©licette has also been called “Astrocat” by her fans.

The launch site was at Hammaguir, Algeria, in the Sahara. On October 18, 1963, FĂ©licette was fitted into a small container in the capsule tip of a VĂ©ronique rocket. Surgically implanted electrodes on FĂ©licette’s skull and probes monitoring her heart were in place to measure her body’s response throughout the launch, flight, and reentry to Earth. About 8:00 am, the VĂ©ronique was launched about 157 km (98 miles) above Earth, leaving the planet’s atmosphere and entering outer space. After about five minutes, the capsule of FĂ©licette’s rocket began the descent to Earth and, after its parachute opened, landed in the vicinity of where she had been launched. In all, the entire trip lasted less than 15 minutes.

FĂ©licette survived reentry and was studied by CERMA’s scientists. As part of that research, FĂ©licette was euthanized about two months later so the potential effects of space travel on her body could be examined.

Three views of a bronze statue of Felicette, a seated cat perched atop a globe, displayed on a pedestal in a workshop.
Three views of the bronze statue of FĂ©licette—the first cat sent into space—perched atop a globe

The space-flying feline has been commemorated in a bronze statue that depicts FĂ©licette sitting on top of the Earth, with her eyes looking up to the stars; it is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund a memorial to the astrocat. The FĂ©licette statue resides at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. It was unveiled in December 2019.

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