List Of 10 Animals That Have Been To Space: Monkeys, Dogs, Frogs And More

By Ridam Sharma
Thu, 27 Feb 2025 01:09 PM (IST)

Source:JND

Animals That Have Been to Space: Animals have a significant role in space history, from having a key role as vital subjects for scientific experiments to learning from their experience in space. Animals have gone many times into space to help scientists across the globe gain insights about microgravity and radiation effects on life, which eventually yet significantly contributed to human spaceflight. Let’s take a look at the well-curated list of 10 animals that ventured into space over the years and changed the dynamics of space globally.

List of 10 Animals That Have Been To Space:

1. Fruit Flies

Year: 1947

The first animals to go to space were fruit flies, launched by the United States in 1947. They were sent to analyse the impact of radiation exposure at high altitudes and they lived through their suborbital flight, which was one of the most important achievements in the history of biology.

Animals That Have Been To Space (1)

Fireflies (Image Credit: Canva)

2. Monkeys

Year: 1948 (Albert I), 1949 (Albert II)

Monkeys were the first primates to go to space. A monkey named Albert I went to 39 kilometres in altitude but did not live through the flight. Therefore, in 1949 monkey Albert II became the first monkey to get to space, but unfortunately, he also failed to survive the re-entry. Later flights with monkeys such as Miss Baker and Able safely and successfully landed back home.

monkeys That Have Been To Space

Albert 1 (Image Credit: DDNewslive Facebook)

3. Dogs

Year: 1951 (suborbital), 1957 (orbital)

The first animal to orbit Earth was the dog named Laika, which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. She didn't survive, however, her mission yielded important data regarding the effects of spaceflight. Other dogs like Belka and Strelka in 1960, orbited successfully and returned.

laika Spaceflight

Laika Dog (Image Credit: The New Yorker)

4. Mice

Year: 1950

Mice have been used in space missions quite often right from the early years of space travel. They have been used by scientists to study biological phenomena and how microgravity affects living things.

Mice (Image Credit: Canva)

5. Guinea Pigs

Year: 1961

Guinea pigs were sent to space by the Soviet Union in 1961 as part of biomedical research to see how mammals react to space conditions.

Guinea pigs (Image Credit: Canva)

6. Rabbits

Year: 1959

The Soviet Union again launched a rabbit named Marfusha into space in 1959, which assisted in research on cardiovascular and respiratory reactions to microgravity.

rabbits