French Cat Becomes First and Only Feline in Space Flight

France launches a cat into space

On 18 October 1963, France launched a 2.5 kg cat into space from the Algerian Sahara, reaching an altitude of more than 150 km. The cat, named Félicette, was launched aboard a Véronique AGI 47 rocket from the Centre interarmées d’essais d’engins spéciaux in Algeria.

Scientific reasoning behind the choice

The choice of a cat was based on scientific reasoning, as explained by Robert Grandpierre on television in November 1963. The cat's brain was well understood by neurophysiologists, making it suitable for recording neurological activity during weightlessness.

Details of the flight

The rocket reached an altitude of more than 150 km, with the precise number varying slightly by sources. The flight lasted between 13 and 15 minutes, with weightlessness experienced on all three axes for 302 seconds, or about five minutes. The cat was recovered 13 minutes and 13 seconds after launch and was in perfect health afterward.

Preparation and monitoring of the cat

Félicette was part of 14 cats trained for space flight, each spending one to two hours daily in a box simulating rocket noises and undergoing centrifuge sessions. Electrodes were implanted in the cat's skull to monitor neurological activity, and two microphones were used to track her breathing during the flight.

Rocket and launch site background

The Véronique AGI 47 rocket was built in Vernon, Normandy. The launch site, Hammaguir, was a French army base in the desert and also the location of the first French satellite launch in 1965. The site was later named after a Martian and an asteroid crater.

Challenges and outcomes

The success of the mission was not guaranteed, as a previous rocket launch on 24 October crashed. Of the seven biological space flights at Hammaguir, only two were successful. Félicette was euthanized two months after the flight for research, and the cats in the program were not named to prevent emotional attachment.

Legacy and recognition

A French television report titled Félicette, the first astronaut cat was produced shortly after the flight. In 2019, a statue of Félicette was installed at the International Space University, funded through a Kickstarter campaign. As of 2026, no other cat has been launched into space, making Félicette the only feline to survive a space flight.