List of Muslim astronauts
Encyclopedia
List of Muslim Astronauts
| Country | Name | Mission (Launch Date) | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
 Saudi Arabia |
Sultan Salman Al Saud | STS-51-G STS-51-G STS-51-G was the eighteenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fifth flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 17 June 1985... (June 17, 1985) |
First Arab, first Muslim and first Royal in space |
 Syria |
Muhammed Faris Muhammed Faris Muhammed Ahmed Faris is a Syrian military aviator. He was the first Syrian and the second Arab in space.Born in Aleppo, Syria, he was a pilot in the Syrian Air Force with the rank of a colonel... |
Mir EP-1 (July 22, 1987) | First Syrian in space |
 Soviet Union |
Musa Manarov | Mir EO-3 Mir EO-3 Mir EO-3 was an expedition to the space station Mir. The crew consisted of 3 people, Musa Manarov , Vladimir Titov and Valeri Polyakov . Manarov and Titov arrived at the station in December 1987 on Soyuz TM-4, while Polyakov arrived much later, in August 1988 on Soyuz TM-6... (December 21, 1987) Soyuz TM-11 Soyuz TM-11 -Mission highlights:Soyuz TM-11 was launched the same day as STS-35.11th expedition to Mir. Toyohiro Akiyama was a reporter/space tourist for a Japanese television network.... (December 2, 1990) |
Total of 541 days in space |
 Afghanistan |
Abdul Ahad Mohmand Abdul Ahad Mohmand Abdul Ahad Momand is a former Afghan Air Force aviator who became the first Afghan in space when he spent nine days aboard the Mir space station in 1988 as a Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut... |
Mir EP-3 Mir EP-3 Mir EP-3 was a week-long manned spaceflight to the Soviet space station Mir, during the long-duration expedition Mir EO-3. It was the sixth manned spaceflight to Mir, and was launched with the spacecraft Soyuz TM-6. This spacecraft also carried Valeri Polyakov, who would stay aboard Mir after the... (August 29, 1988) |
First Afghan in space |
| Soviet Union |
Toktar Aubakirov Toktar Aubakirov Toktar Ongarbayuly Aubakirov is a retired Kazakhstani Air Force officer and a former cosmonaut .-Early life:Toktar Aubakirov was born on July 27, 1946 in Karaganda, Kazakh SSR, which is now Kazakhstan... |
Soyuz TM-13 Soyuz TM-13 -Mission highlights:13th expedition to Mir. Included astronaut from Austria and cosmonaut from soon to be independent Kazakhstan.Soyuz-TM 13 carried Austrian cosmonaut-researcher Franz Viehböck and still Soviet-Kazakh cosmonaut-researcher Toktar Aubakirov. The flight was unusual for carrying no... (October 2, 1991) |
|
 Russia /  Kazakhstan |
Talgat Musabayev Talgat Musabayev Talgat Amangeldyuly Musabayev , is a Kazakh test pilot and former cosmonaut who flew on three spaceflights. His first two spaceflights were long-duration stays aboard the Russian space station Mir. His third spaceflight was a short duration visiting mission to the International Space Station, which... |
Soyuz TM-19 Soyuz TM-19 -Crew:-Mission highlights:Commander Malenchenko and Flight Engineer Musabayev, spaceflightrookies, were to have been launched with veteran cosmonaut GennadiStrekalov, who would have returned to Earth with Viktor Afanaseyev and Yuri... (November 4, 1994) Soyuz TM-27 Soyuz TM-27 -Mission accomplishments:*Docked with Mir*Exchange part of crew*Carried out French mission PEGASE*Conducted routine science experiments-EVA schedule:*03.03.1998 aborted due to faulty hatch*01.04.1998 *06.04.1998 *11.04.1998... (August 25, 1998) Soyuz TM-32 Soyuz TM-32 Soyuz TM-32 was a manned Russian spacecraft which was launched on April 28, 2001, and docked with the International Space Station two days later. It launched the crew of the visiting mission ISS EP-1, which included the first paying space tourist Dennis Tito, as well as two Russian cosmonauts... (May 6, 2001) |
Total of 341 days in space |
Russia /  Kyrgyzstan |
Salizhan Sharipov Salizhan Sharipov Salizhan Shakirovich Sharipov is a Kyrgyz cosmonaut. Sharipov is a co-author and investigator for the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity project. He has been to space twice and has conducted two spacewalks... |
STS-89 STS-89 STS-89 was a space shuttle mission to the Mir space station flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour, and launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 22 January 1998.-Crew:-Crew notes:... (January 20, 1998) Expedition 10 Expedition 10 Expedition 10 was the 10th expedition to the International Space Station, using the Soyuz TMA-5, which stayed during the expedition for emergency evacuation.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Perigee: 384 km... (October 14, 2004) |
Total of 201 days in space |
 Iran /  United States |
Anousheh Ansari Anousheh Ansari Anousheh Ansari is an engineer and the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems. Her previous business accomplishments include serving as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies, Inc. . The Ansari family is also the title sponsor of the Ansari X Prize. On September 18, 2006,... |
Soyuz TMA-9 Soyuz TMA-9 -Crew notes:Daisuke Enomoto Was originally scheduled to be the spaceflight participant, but on on 21 August 2006, he was determined to be unfit for the flight due to medical reasons, and replaced by Anousheh Ansari, his back-up crew member.-Docking with ISS:... (September 18, 2006) |
First female space tourist; first Muslim woman in space |
 Malaysia |
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor is a Malaysian orthopaedic surgeon and was the first Malaysian to go into space. He was launched to the International Space Station aboard Soyuz TMA-11 with the Expedition 16 crew on October 10, 2007... |
Soyuz TMA-11 Soyuz TMA-11 Soyuz TMA-11 was a human spaceflight mission using a Soyuz-TMA spacecraft to transport personnel to and from the International Space Station . The mission began at 13:22 UTC on October 10, 2007 when the spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle... (October 10, 2007) |
First Malaysian in space |
Praying towards Mecca in space
Malaysia's space agency, AngkasaAngkasa
The Malaysian National Space Agency is the national space agency of Malaysia. It was established in 2002 and its charter includes aims to upgrade, stimulate and foster the country's space programme through integrated and coordinated efforts by developing and applying space technologies. The agency...
, convened a conference of 150 Islamic scientists and scholars in 2006 to address the question, among others, of how to pray towards Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
in space. A document was produced in early 2007 called A Guideline of Performing Ibadah
Ibadah
The Arabic word ibadah or ibada, usually translated "worship", is connected with related words literally meaning "slavery", and has connotations of obedience, submission, and humility. In terms of Islam, ibadah is the ultimate obedience, the ultimate submission, and the ultimate humility to Allah ...
(worship) at the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
(ISS) and was approved by Malaysia's National Fatwa Council.