On October 18, 1963, a stray Paris cat named Félicette became the first feline in space.
A stray tuxedo cat from Paris named Félicette became the first and only feline to fly into space on October 18, 1963.
A stray tuxedo cat from Paris named Félicette became the first and only feline to fly into space on October 18, 1963. While the United States and Soviet Union focused on launching dogs, primates, and humans, France entered the space race by sending a cat aloft on a Véronique AG1 rocket.
Félicette took the place of another cat named Felix, who escaped on launch day. Her flight soared 130 miles above Earth before she safely parachuted back down to the ground alive and well. The French research center CERMA later euthanized Félicette two months after her flight to study her brain.
A second feline flight on October 24 veered off course, and that animal died, leading the research program to switch its focus to monkeys. Félicette largely faded into history until a crowdfunding campaign financed a bronze memorial statue. The sculpture was unveiled in 2019 at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, with European astronauts Helen Sharman, Paolo Nespoli, and Reinhold Ewald attending the ceremony.
Chad and Comoros have also honored the feline on postage stamps.
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Original publication: 18 October 2026 19:22
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