List of Animals Sent into Space

List of Animals Sent into Space

S. No.	Launch Date	Animal / Mission	Objective / Outcome
1	20 February 1947	Fruit flies / V-2 rocket	Studied the effects of cosmic radiation at high altitudes. The flies were recovered alive.
2	14 June 1949	Albert II / V-2 rocket	First mammal to reach space; a rhesus monkey. He died on impact after the flight.
3	22 July 1951	Dezik and Tsygan / R-1 rocket	Two Soviet dogs completed a suborbital spaceflight and were recovered alive.
4	20 September 1951	Yorick and mice / Aerobee rocket	Animals were flown on a high-altitude suborbital mission; the monkey and mice were recovered alive.
5	28 May 1959	Able and Baker / Jupiter rocket	Two monkeys flew on a suborbital mission and returned alive. Able later died during a medical procedure.
6	3 November 1957	Laika / Sputnik 2	First animal to orbit Earth. The Soviet dog died a few hours after launch because of overheating.
7	19 August 1960	Belka and Strelka / Sputnik 5	Dogs that orbited Earth and returned alive, alongside other animals and biological specimens.
8	31 January 1961	Ham / Mercury-Redstone 2	First chimpanzee in space. Tested tasks and spacecraft systems during a suborbital flight and returned safely.
9	29 November 1961	Enos / Mercury-Atlas 5	First chimpanzee to orbit Earth; completed two orbits before returning safely.
10	18 October 1963	Félicette / Véronique AGI 47	First cat sent into space. The French research cat returned alive after a suborbital flight.
11	22 February 1966	Veterok and Ugolyok / Kosmos 110	Two Soviet dogs spent 22 days in orbit to study the effects of prolonged spaceflight.
12	15 September 1968	Two steppe tortoises / Zond 5	Became the first animals to travel around the Moon and return to Earth.
13	14 December 1972	Various biological specimens / Apollo 17	Spaceflight experiments included biological research to investigate the effects of the space environment. Apollo 17 was the final crewed Apollo lunar mission.
14	14 December 1973	Rats, tortoises and other specimens / Kosmos 605	Studied the biological effects of extended exposure to spaceflight conditions.
15	28 June 1992	Frog eggs and other biological specimens / STS-50	Conducted microgravity experiments involving biological development and cellular processes.
16	17 April 1998	Mice / Neurolab, STS-90	Investigated how microgravity affects the nervous system and biological functions.
17	12 September 2009	Water bears (tardigrades) / FOTON-M3 research programme	Contributed to research into the ability of microscopic animals to withstand extreme environmental conditions, including aspects of space exposure.
18	28 January 2013	Medaka fish / International Space Station research	Supported studies of bone loss, muscle changes and other biological effects of microgravity.
19	20 August 2021	Squid / SpaceX CRS-23 biological research programme	Hawaiian bobtail squid were sent to the ISS to investigate interactions between animals and their beneficial microorganisms in microgravity.
20	11 November 2021	Fruit flies / International Space Station	Used in research examining how spaceflight affects the heart and cardiovascular function.

Notes:

The first animals to reach space were fruit flies launched by the United States in 1947.
Laika was the first animal to orbit Earth, but she did not survive the mission.
Belka and Strelka were among the first animals to orbit Earth and return alive.
Ham was a chimpanzee, while Félicette was a cat sent into space by France.
The Soviet Zond 5 mission carried tortoises around the Moon in 1968; the animals returned to Earth.
Animals have been used in space research to investigate radiation exposure, bone and muscle loss, cardiovascular changes, reproduction and biological adaptation to microgravity.
Some entries represent broad research programmes rather than a single animal launch. Dates and mission details should be verified before publication.

Official reference sources:

List of Animals Sent into Space

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