A technician holds Félicette, the first cat sent into space
Félicette, 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?
On October 18, 1963, Félicette—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...
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