Space travellers by country and milestones
World Space Week: Which countries have sent people to space?
Monday, 5 October 2026
Photo by Bill Jelen on Unsplash
Warm-up
- What interests you most about space travel? Why?
- Which famous space missions or astronauts do you know?
- Should tourists go to space? Give one reason.
Vocabulary
- orbit
- The curved path of an object as it goes around a planet or star.
- astronaut
- A person trained to travel and work in space.
- satellite
- A machine sent into space that moves around Earth or another body.
- launch
- To send a rocket, satellite or mission into space.
- treaty
- A formal agreement between countries, often about rules or peace.
- boundary
- A line or limit that marks where something begins or ends.
- tourist
- A person who pays to travel for pleasure, not as a job.
- record
- The best or highest known amount or achievement.
Reading
Listen to this story
American EnglishWorld Space Week runs from 4 to 10 October and marks the value of space technology; the UN began it in 1999. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first satellite to orbit Earth. In 1961, Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, completing one orbit in 108 minutes at about 27,400km/h. In 1967, the Outer Space Treaty set peaceful rules, and in 1969 Apollo 11 landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong walked on it. There is no single boundary for space: many use the Karman line at 100km, while US agencies count flights above 80km. By these measures, at least 746 people from 52 countries have gone to space, including paying tourists. The US has sent 369 people, the Soviet Union and Russia 138, and China 29. Ages vary: the median is 40, from 18-year-old Oliver Daemen in 2021 to 90-year-old Ed Dwight in 2024. In 2026, the Artemis II crew flew around the moon and set a distance record of about 406,771km.
Comprehension
- When is World Space Week held each year?
- Who was the first human in space, and in which year?
- What two heights are used to define the start of space?
- How many people from how many countries have gone to space?
- Which country has sent the most people to space?
Grammar focus
Connecting words
Connecting words link ideas and show relationships: and (addition), but/although/whereas (contrast), because (reason), so/therefore (result). Choose the linker that matches the meaning and structure. (Examples constructed.)
- Apollo 11 landed, and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
- Many use 100km, while some agencies use 80km.
Grammar exercise
Circle the correct option in each sentence.
- Teams delayed launch, (because / so) weather was poor.
- US flights count 80km, (where / whereas) others use 100km.
- Launch began (because / despite) strong winds.
- (Although / But) it was cloudy, launch continued.
- Skies were clear; (however / therefore) the launch began.
Discussion
- Which space milestone in the text impresses you most? Why?
- Should countries agree on one boundary for space?
- How could more women be encouraged to go to space?
- What should come next after Artemis II?
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