Félicette (French pronunciation:) was a stray Parisian cat that became the first feline launched into space on 18 October 1963 as part of the French space program. She was one of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight.

Oct 18, 2023 · No more cats went into the Earth’s orbit, and Félicette remained the first and only cat to have been in space. Why was Félicette forgotten? Despite her contributions to science, Félicette received far less recognition than the other animal astronauts.

On Oct. 18, 1963, Félicette (who was officially known as C 341), was strapped into a Véronique rocket and blasted from Algeria to nearly 100 miles (161 kilometers) above Earth. She experienced about five minutes of weightlessness followed by the terror of a turbulent, spinning descent via parachute. Just 15 minutes later, the flight was complete.

Nov 9, 2021 · As it turns out, throughout the entire history of spaceflight, only one cat has been successfully launched into space: a black-and-white female named Félicette. Félicette's momentous launch occurred during the height of the space race in October 1963.

Dec 26, 2018 · It's a classic zero to hero tale: A stray cat is plucked from the streets of Paris and trained to be an astronaut. This may sound like the plot of a children's book, but the story of...

Dec 26, 2023 · The first astronaut cat has forever gone down in the history of astronautics, and the bronze 1.5-meter Félicette cat statue, installed in front of the International Space Institute in France, reminds us of her contribution to science.

Dec 6, 2021 · French scientists launched Félicette into space in October 1963 in hopes of catching up to the United States and the Soviet Union in the Space Race. Félicette didn’t seem like a typical astronaut. She weighed just five and a half pounds. She’d spent most of her life on the streets of Paris.

4 days ago · Félicette was the first and only cat to make the journey into space. But, you've likely never heard of her. Read on to discover who was Félicette along with fun facts.

Jul 15, 2024 · Although late to the party, the French space agency made its first serious incursion into manned space flight on October 18, 1963 — the day a French cat named Félicette became the first and...

Oct 15, 2023 · Félicette the French space cat, the world's only feline astronaut. Sixty years ago this month, France became the first country to send a cat into space.