Space Pilots

In 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to pilot a spacecraft into orbit around the Earth. For more than 40 years thereafter, astronaut/pilots from U.S. and Russian space agencies operated a variety of spacecraft to perform space missions. In 2003, China became the third country to send a man into space with its own rocket.

It was not until June 21, 2004, that the renowned test pilot Mike Melvill became the first civilian to fly an aircraft into space and the first private pilot to earn astronaut wings. He piloted Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipOne, an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft, to approximately 40 miles above the earth. In 2020, SpaceX became the first private company to launch humans into orbit—sending NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken into space via its Crew Dragon capsule. In 2021, SpaceX once again made history by becoming the first private spaceflight company to launch an all-civilian crew into space. Successful orbital and suborbital flights by SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and other private companies have created a new era of space commerce and tourism. Many of future missions will be piloted by humans, which will translate into growing demand for skilled pilots with extensive experience with NASA, other government-funded space programs, the armed forces, or in other pilot positions.