The 9 Cosmonauts & 1 Astronaut Of The First 10 Countries To Send A Citizen To Space

Map found on redditThe map above shows the first 10 countries to send one of its citizens into space. In total, 9 came from communist countries allied to the Soviet Union and so were all cosmonauts plus the United States with the lone astronaut.

More about them:

1. Yuri Gagarin: April 1961 (USSR)

• First human in space aboard Vostok 1.
• His 108-minute orbital flight made him an instant global icon and marked the beginning of human space exploration.

 2. Alan Shepard: May 1961 (USA)

• First American in space, flying a suborbital mission on Freedom 7 (Mercury program).
• Later walked on the Moon during Apollo 14.

3. Vladimír Remek: March 1978 (Czechoslovakia)

• First person in space who was neither American nor Soviet.
• Flew on Soyuz 28 as the first Interkosmos cosmonaut.

 4. Miroslav Hermaszewski: June 1978 (Poland)

• First Polish cosmonaut.
• Flew on Soyuz 30 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos program.

5. Sigmund Jähn: August 1978 (German Democratic Republic aka East Germany)

• First German in space (from GDR).
• Flew on Soyuz 31 and worked on materials science and Earth observation experiments

6.  Georgi Ivanov: April 1979 (Bulgaria)

• First Bulgarian in space.
• Flew on Soyuz 33, which suffered an engine failure and could not dock with Salyut 6. Returned safely.

7.  Bertalan Farkas: May 1980 (Hungary)

• First Hungarian cosmonaut.
• Flew on Soyuz 36, spending a week aboard Salyut 6.

8.  Phạm Tuân: July 1980 (Vietnam)

• First Vietnamese and first Asian in space.
• Flew on Soyuz 37. Conducted agricultural and materials science experiments.

9.  Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez: September 1980 (Cuba)

• First Cuban and first person of African descent in space.
• Flew on Soyuz 38, performing medical and biological research.

10.  Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa: March 1981 (Mongolia)

• First Mongolian in space.
• Flew on Soyuz 39. Conducted Earth-observation and space-technology tests.

Why did the Soviet Union send citizens of other communist countries into space?

The main reason was political strategy, not science.

To strengthen the Eastern Bloc and show unity

The USSR created the Interkosmos program (starting in 1967) to allow citizens of allied socialist countries to fly on Soviet missions.

This let the USSR present itself as:

• the leader of the socialist world
• a generous, cooperative partner
• technologically superior and capable of sharing that technology

Sending a Polish, East German, Vietnamese, Cuban, or Mongolian citizen into space was a symbolic statement:

“Socialist countries achieve space triumphs together.”

This was meant to contrast with the US, which at the time only sent its own astronauts.

To win the global propaganda battle during the Cold War

Every time a new country’s citizen went to space on a Soviet rocket, the USSR gained:

• headlines around the world
• prestige among developing nations
• influence in Asia, Africa, and Latin America
• proof that socialism could “internationalize” spaceflight

For example:

• Phạm Tuân showed Soviet support for Vietnam after the Vietnam War.
• Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez demonstrated solidarity with Cuba and symbolized Soviet support for anti-colonial movements.

These were political victories as much as scientific ones.

It helped spread Soviet technology and influence

Training foreign cosmonauts meant:

• foreign officers learned Russian
• they built long-term ties with Soviet institutions
• their countries relied more on Soviet space technology

It kept the Warsaw Pact and socialist allies tightly connected to Moscow.

Why does Russia call their space travelers cosmonauts instead of astronauts?

The difference is mostly linguistic and historical, not technical.

The word “cosmonaut” comes from the Greek kosmos (universe)

• Astronaut → from Greek astron (star)
• Cosmonaut → from Greek kosmos (cosmos, universe)

The USSR wanted its own distinct term, separate from NASA’s.

It was part of Cold War identity and branding

In the early space race, language mattered.

The Soviets intentionally used cosmonaut to emphasize:

• independence from Western terminology
• a unique Soviet identity in space exploration

Just as the U.S. used “astronaut,” the Soviets wanted a term representing their own program.

Russian space travellers today still use “cosmonaut”

Even after the USSR collapsed, Russia maintained the tradition.

Other countries trained in Russia (e.g., Mongolia, Vietnam, ESA astronauts flying on Soyuz) are sometimes also called “cosmonauts” when flying on Russian spacecraft.

What about the terms taikonaut and vyomanaut?

Taikonaut (China)

Where the term comes from

• From Chinese 太空 (tàikōng) meaning outer space

• Greek -naut (“sailor,” as in astronaut, cosmonaut)

So it literally means “space sailor.”

Why China doesn’t officially use it

China officially refers to its astronauts as:

• 航天员 (hángtiānyuán) → “spaceflight personnel”

But the rest of the world (media, space agencies, researchers) adopted “taikonaut” to:

1. Distinguish Chinese flyers from NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonauts
2. Recognize China’s independent human spaceflight program (Shenzhou, Tiangong)
3. Mirror the Cold War distinction between astronaut vs. cosmonaut

It’s now widely accepted internationally.

Vyomanaut (India)

Where the term comes from

From Sanskrit व्योम (vyoma) meaning sky/space

• Greek -naut

So vyomanaut = “sky/cosmos sailor.”

When and why the term appeared

India has not yet launched its own astronauts, but is preparing to with the Gaganyaan mission.

Scientists and journalists began using “vyomanaut” to:

1. Create a culturally Indian term for future Indian space travelers
2. Parallel Chinese “taikonaut” and Russian “cosmonaut”
3. Give India’s human spaceflight program its own identity

India has not officially confirmed it will use this name, but it’s very likely.

The Full History of the Soviet Interkosmos Program (1967–1994)

Interkosmos was one of the most important Cold War space diplomacy tools.

Here is a clear, chronological explanation.

Phase 1: Creation and Purpose (1967–1977)

The USSR launched Interkosmos in 1967 to:

1. Share space science with Warsaw Pact and friendly socialist states
2. Build political solidarity against the U.S.
3. Allow non-Soviet citizens to participate in Soviet space missions
4. Spread Soviet influence through scientific partnerships

Activities included:

• Joint satellite experiments
• Sounding rockets
• Training foreign engineers
• Building international scientific networks

No human flights yet,  only robotics and science cooperation.

Phase 2: Human Spaceflight Begins (1978)

Starting in 1978, Interkosmos expanded dramatically.

The first foreign citizen in space:

Vladimír Remek (Czechoslovakia) on Soyuz 28, March 1978.

This was historic because he was:

• the first non-American, non-Soviet human in space
• proof that the USSR could share spaceflight with allies

After Remek, a steady stream of socialist-allied astronauts flew (see above):

These missions were short stays on Salyut 6 or Salyut 7 stations.

Goals of manned Interkosmos missions

• Strengthen political loyalty to Moscow
• Give allies prestige and legitimacy
• Train friendly nations’ officers in Soviet spacecraft
• Show the world the “international success of socialism”
• Counter the global attention NASA received after Apollo

Phase 3: Expansion Beyond Socialist Countries (1982–1988)

Less known but important:

The USSR also flew astronauts from non-communist countries via Interkosmos-like agreements.

Examples:

• France (Jean-Loup Chrétien, 1982)
• India (Rakesh Sharma, 1984)
• Syria (Muhammed Faris, 1987)
• Afghanistan (Abdul Ahad Momand, 1988)
• Austria, Britain, Japan through later programs

These weren’t formally under Interkosmos, but used the same training infrastructure and political intent.

Phase 4: Decline and End (1989–1994)

With:

• the fall of communism in Eastern Europe
• the dissolution of the USSR (1991)
• budget cuts
• Russia’s need for hard currency

The Interkosmos program became obsolete.

Russia shifted to commercial flights, selling seats on Soyuz to:

• private citizens
• Western astronauts
• foreign governments

The Interkosmos organization was officially phased out by 1994.

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