List of Asian astronauts

Template:Short description This is a list of astronauts, who are in a restricted sense, Asians.

If "Asian" is restricted to refer to people from the continent of Asia, exclusive of Asian Russia and Turkey, who are not of predominantly European, African, or American ancestry, then the list is as follows:

The first country listed is that of citizenship; the second, if any, is that of the Asian country of birth and/or ancestry, where different. Those of Asian ancestry but were born outside Asia are excluded.

The table lists astronauts whose origin or ancestry is in Central, East, South, Southeast, and West Asia.

List

#	Image	Name Birth date	Country	Notes	Missions (Launch date)
1	File:TUÂN PHAM.JPG	Phạm Tuân February 14, 1947		First Vietnamese and first person of Asian origin to be in space.	Soyuz 37 (July 23, 1980)
2	File:Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa.jpeg	Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa December 5, 1947		First Mongolian in space.	Soyuz 39 (March 22, 1981)
3	File:Rakesh sharma.jpg	Rakesh Sharma January 13, 1949		First Indian in space.	Soyuz T-11/10 (April 3, 1984)
4	File:Taylor Wang - full.jpg	Taylor Wang June 16, 1940	()	First person of Chinese ancestry in space Second Asian American in space, after Ellison Onizuka	STS-51-B (April 29, 1985)
5	File:Sultan Salman Al-Saud.jpg	Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud June 27, 1956		First Saudi and first Arab in space.	STS-51-G (June 17, 1985)
6	File:Muhammed Ahmed Faris.jpg	Muhammed Faris May 26, 1951		First Syrian in space.	Soyuz TM-3/2 (July 22, 1987)
7	File:U2mir musa manarov.jpg	Musa Manarov March 22, 1951	()	First Azeri in space.	Soyuz TM-4 (December 21, 1987) Soyuz TM-11 (December 2, 1990)
8		Abdul Ahad Momand January 1, 1959	Afghanistan	First Afghan in space.	Soyuz TM-6/5 (August 29, 1988)
9	File:Toyohiro-Akiyama-First-Japanese-Person-in-Space-1990.png	Toyohiro Akiyama July 22, 1942		First Japanese citizen in space.	Soyuz TM-11/10 (December 2, 1990)
10	File:Stamp of Kazakhstan 276.jpg	Toktar Aubakirov July 27, 1946	()	First ethnic Kazakh in space.	Soyuz TM-13/12 (October 2, 1991)
11	File:DR- EUGENE TRINH.jpg	Eugene Trinh September 14, 1950	(South Vietnam)	First Vietnamese American in space.	STS-50 (June 25, 1992)
12	File:Mamoru Mohri portrait.jpg	Mamoru Mohri January 29, 1948			STS-47 (September 12, 1992) STS-99 (February 11, 2000)
13	File:Talgat Musabayev.jpg	Talgat Musabayev January 7, 1951	()		Soyuz TM-19 (July 1, 1994) Soyuz TM-27 (January 29, 1998) Soyuz TM-32/31 (April 28, 2001)
14	File:Chiaki Mukai.jpg	Chiaki Mukai May 6, 1952		First Japanese woman and first Asian woman in space.	STS-65 (July 8, 1994) STS-95 (October 29, 1998)
15	File:Koichi wakata.jpg	Koichi Wakata August 1, 1963		Served on the ISS in Expedition 18, 19, 20, Expedition 38/39 and Expedition 68.	STS-72 (July 11, 1996) STS-92 (October 11, 2000) STS-119/127 (March 15, 2009) Soyuz TMA-11M (November 7, 2013) SpaceX Crew-5 (October 5, 2022)
16	File:Kalpana Chawla, NASA photo portrait in orange suit.jpg	Kalpana Chawla March 17, 1962	()	First Indian American in space. Died on the Columbia.	STS-87 (19 November 1997) STS-107 (16 January 2003)
17	File:Doi.jpg	Takao Doi September 18, 1954		First Japanese spacewalker.	STS-87 (November 19, 1997) STS-123 (March 11, 2008)
18	File:Sharipov.jpg	Salizhan Sharipov August 24, 1964	()	Of Uzbek ancestry. Served on ISS Expedition 10.	STS-89 (January 22, 1998) Soyuz TMA-5 (October 14, 2004)
19	File:Yurchikhin.jpg	Fyodor Yurchikhin January 3, 1959	()	First Georgian in space, of Pontic Greek ancestry. Served on the ISS in Expedition 15.	STS-112 (October 7, 2002) Soyuz TMA-10 (April 7, 2007)
20	File:Ilan Ramon, NASA photo portrait in orange suit.jpg	Ilan Ramon June 20, 1954		First Israeli in space. Died on the Columbia.	STS-107 (January 16, 2003)
21	File:Yang Liwei.jpg	Yang Liwei June 21, 1965		First taikonaut from the People's Republic of China. First person launched by an independent spaceflight mission from Asia.	Shenzhou 5 (October 15, 2003)
22	File:Soichi noguchi v2.jpg	Soichi Noguchi April 15, 1965		Served on the ISS in (Expedition 22/23) and (Expedition 64/65).	STS-114 (July 26, 2005) Soyuz TMA-17 (December 20, 2009) SpaceX Crew-1 (November 16, 2020)
23, 24	File:Dyor Fei Junlong.jpg	Fei Junlong May 5, 1965			Shenzhou 6 (October 12, 2005) Shenzhou 15 (November 29, 2022)
	File:Nie Haisheng 2021.png	Nie Haisheng October 13, 1964			Shenzhou 6 (October 12, 2005) Shenzhou 10 (June 11, 2013) Shenzhou 12 (June 17, 2021)
25	File:Anousheh Ansari.jpg	Anousheh Ansari September 12, 1966	()	First Iranian-American in space.	Soyuz TMA-9/8 (September 18, 2006)
26	File:Muszaphar shukor.jpg	Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor July 27, 1972		First Malaysian in space.	Soyuz TMA-11/10 (October 10, 2007)
27	File:Yi so yeon.jpg	Yi So-yeon June 2, 1978		First Korean citizen in space.	Soyuz TMA-11/12 (April 8, 2008)
28	File:Akihoshide.jpg	Akihiko Hoshide December 28, 1968		Served on the ISS in (Expedition 32/33).	STS-124 (May 31, 2008) Soyuz TMA-05M (15 July 2012) SpaceX Crew-2 (23 April 2021)
29, 30, 31	File:Jing Haipeng.JPG	Jing Haipeng October 24, 1966			Shenzhou 7 (September 25, 2008) Shenzhou 9 (June 16, 2012) Shenzhou 11 (October 17, 2016) Shenzhou 16 (May 30, 2023)
	File:Liu Boming.JPG	Liu Boming October 29, 1966			Shenzhou 7 (September 25, 2008) Shenzhou 12 (June 17, 2021)
	File:Zhai Zhigang.JPG	Zhai Zhigang October 10, 1966			Shenzhou 7 (September 25, 2008) Shenzhou 13 (October 15, 2021)
32	File:Naoko Yamazaki.jpg	Naoko Yamazaki December 27, 1970			STS-131 (April 5, 2010)
33	File:Satoshi Furukawa.jpg	Satoshi Furukawa April 4, 1964		Served on the ISS in (Expedition 28/29).	Soyuz TMA-02M (7 June 2011) SpaceX Crew-7 (26 August 2023)
34, 35	File:LIU Wang CUHK 2012.JPG	Liu Wang 1970			Shenzhou 9 (June 16, 2012)
	File:LIU Yang CUHK 2012.JPG	Liu Yang 1978		First Chinese woman in space.
36, 37	File:Wang Yaping at Shenzhou-13 launch.jpg	Wang Yaping January 1988		First Asian female astronaut to perform a spacewalk (Shenzhou 13).	Shenzhou 10 (June 11, 2013) Shenzhou 13 (October 15, 2021)
	File:Zhang Xiaoguang.jpg	Zhang Xiaoguang May 1966			Shenzhou 10 (June 11, 2013)
38	File:Kimiya Yui NASA official portrait.jpg	Kimiya Yui January 30, 1970		Served on the ISS in (Expedition 44/45).	Soyuz TMA-17M (July 22, 2015)
39	File:Aidyn Aimbetov.jpg	Aidyn Aimbetov July 27, 1972			Soyuz TMA-18M (September 2, 2015)
40	File:Takuya Onishi at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.jpg	Takuya Onishi December 22, 1975		Served on the ISS in (Expedition 48/49/72/73).	Soyuz MS-01 (July 7, 2016) SpaceX Crew-10 (March 14, 2025)
41	File:航天员陈冬 Chen Dong.jpg	Chen Dong December 12, 1978			Shenzhou 11 (October 17, 2016) Shenzhou 14 (June 5, 2022) Shenzhou 20 (April 24, 2025)
42	File:Norishige kanai jaxa.jpg	Norishige Kanai December 5, 1976		Served on the ISS on (Expedition 54/55).	Soyuz MS-07 (December 27, 2017)
43	File:Hazza Al Mansouri (1).jpg	Hazza Al Mansouri December 13, 1983		First United Arab Emirates in space.	Soyuz MS-15/12 (September 25, 2019)
44	File:Tang Hongbo.png	Tang Hongbo October, 1975			Shenzhou 12 (June 17, 2021) Shenzhou 17 (October 26, 2023)
45		Sirisha Bandla 1988	()		Virgin Galactic Unity 22 (July 11, 2021)
46	File:Ye Guangfu in 2021.jpg	Ye Guangfu September, 1980			Shenzhou 13 (October 15, 2021) Shenzhou 18 (April 25, 2024)
47, 48	File:Yozo Hirano (cropped).jpg	Yozo Hirano 1985		Space tourist from Space Adventures First space tourists from Japan First time two Japanese people were launched together.	Soyuz MS-20 (December 8, 2021)
	File:Yusaku Maezawa (cropped).jpg	Yusaku Maezawa 22 November, 1975
49	File:Eitan Stiva.jpg	Eytan Stibbe January 12, 1958		Space tourist from Axiom Space. First Space tourist from Israel.	Axiom Mission 1 (April 8, 2022)
50	File:航天员蔡旭哲 Cai Xuzhe.jpg	Cai Xuzhe May, 1976			Shenzhou 14 (June 5, 2022)
51, 52	File:Deng Qingming (cropped).jpg	Deng Qingming March, 1966			Shenzhou 15 (September 29, 2022)
	File:Zhang Lu (cropped).jpg	Zhang Lu November, 1976
53	File:SpaceX-Crew-6 Sultan-Alneyadi-MBRSC-scaled.jpg	Sultan Al Neyadi May 23, 1981		First United Arab Emirates for long duration mission in space.	SpaceX Crew-6 (March 2, 2023)
54, 55	File:Ali AlQarni (cropped).jpg	Ali AlQarni March, 1992		First Saudi astronaut to ISS.	Axiom Mission 2 (May 21, 2023)
	File:Rayyanah Barnawi (cropped).jpg	Rayyanah Barnawi September, 1988		First Saudi astronaut to ISS. First female Saudi astronaut in space.
56, 57	File:Gui Haichao Shenzhou 16 桂海潮 20230530 02.jpg	Gui Haichao November, 1986		First civilian taikonaut in space.	Shenzhou 16 (May 30, 2023)
	File:Zhu Yangzhu Shenzhou 16 朱杨柱 20230530 01.jpg	Zhu Yangzhu September, 1986
58	File:Namira Salim.jpg	Namira Salim		First Pakistani in space.	Galactic 04 (October 6, 2023)
59, 60	File:神舟十七号 Shenzhou 17 江新林 Jiang Xinlin 20231026.jpg	Jiang Xinlin February, 1988			Shenzhou 17 (October 26, 2023)
	File:神舟十七号 Shenzhou 17 唐胜杰 Tang Shengjie 20231026.jpg	Tang Shengjie December, 1989			Shenzhou 17 (October 26, 2023)
61	File:Axiom Mission 3 Space Station Arrival & Welcome Remarks (Alper Gezeravcı).jpg	Alper Gezeravcı December, 1979		First Turk in space and to ISS.	Axiom Mission 3 (January 18, 2024)
62, 63	File:李聪.png	Li Cong October, 1989			Shenzhou 18 (April 25, 2024)
	File:李广苏.png	Li Guangsu July 1987
64		Gopichand Thotakura 1993		First space tourist from India	Blue Origin NS-25 (May 19, 2024)
65		Tuva Cihangir Atasever 1992			Galactic 07 (June 8, 2024)
66, 67, 68	File:Eiman Jahangir 03.jpg	Eiman Jahangir Aug, 1980	()		Blue Origin NS-26 (August 29, 2024)
		Ephraim Rabin ?	()
		Nicolina Elrick ?	()	First Singaporean permanent resident in space
69, 70	File:Song Lingdong.jpg	Song Lingdong August, 1990			Shenzhou 19 (October 29, 2024)
	File:Wang Haoze at Shenzhou-19 press conference.png	Wang Haoze March 1990
71	File:How Will We Govern Ourselves in Space? (48322984212).jpg	Amanda Nguyễn October 1991	()	First Vietnamese American and southeast Asian American woman astronaut.	Blue Origin NS-31 (April 14, 2025)
72, 73	File:神二十航天员首次亮相2.png	Chen Zhongrui August, 1990			Shenzhou 20 (April 24, 2025)
	File:神二十航天员首次亮相1.png	Wang Jie March 1990
74	File:Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.jpg	Shubhanshu Shukla 10 October 1985	Template:Flagicon India	An Indian Air Force test pilot and ISRO astronaut, first Indian & South Asian to go to the ISS.	Axiom Mission 4 (25 June 2025)

List by country

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Country	Astronauts	Maiden flight
Afghanistan	1	29 August 1988
Azerbaijan	1	21 December 1987
China	26	15 October 2003
Template:Country data Georgia	1	7 October 2002
India	5	3 April 1984
Iran	2	18 September 2006
Israel	3	16 January 2003
Japan	13	2 December 1990
Kazakhstan	3	2 October 1991
Kyrgyzstan	1	22 January 1998
Malaysia	1	10 October 2007
Mongolia	1	22 March 1981
Pakistan	1	6 October 2023
Saudi Arabia	3	17 June 1985
Syria	1	22 July 1987
Taiwan	1	29 April 1985
South Korea	1	8 April 2008
Turkey	2	18 January 2024
United Arab Emirates	2	25 September 2019
Vietnam	2	23 July 1980
Singapore	1	25 February 2025

Human spaceflight programs

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Country	Organisation	Program	Destination	Period	Astronauts
China	CNSA	Shuguang	Low Earth orbit	1968–1972	Template:No attempt
China	CNSA	Template:Operational	Low Earth orbit	1992–present	26
China	CNSA	Template:Operational	Low Earth orbit	1999–present	25
India	ISRO	Template:Planned	Low Earth orbit	2006–present	4
Iran	ISRC	Template:Planned	Very low Earth orbit	2015–present	TBD
India	ISRO	Template:Planned	Low Earth orbit	2019–present	TBD
Azerbaijan China Pakistan United Arab Emirates	ILRS	Template:Planned	Moon	2021–present	TBD
India	ISRO	Template:Planned	Moon	2035	TBD

Other Asian-born astronauts

Several Soviet and Russian cosmonauts of Russian ethnicity, and some American astronauts not of Asian ancestry, were born in Asian Russia and other parts of Asia:

• Born in Asian Russia — Dmitri Kondratyev, Vasili Lazarev, Alexei Leonov, Aleksandr Poleshchuk, Nikolai Rukavishnikov, Valery Ryumin, Vitali Sevastyanov, Maksim Surayev, Gherman Titov, Vladimir Titov, Pavel Vinogradov, Boris Volynov.
• Born in Kazakhstan — Yuri Lonchakov, Viktor Patsayev, Vladimir Shatalov, Aleksandr Viktorenko
• Born in Turkmenistan — Oleg Kononenko
• Born in Uzbekistan — Vladimir Dzhanibekov
• Born in China — William Anders, Shannon Lucid
• Born in Taiwan - Kjell N. Lindgren (American by nationality, and half Taiwanese)

See also

• List of Asian American astronauts