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African-American astronauts areAmericans of African descent who have been part of an astronaut program, regardless of whether they have traveled into space. African-Americans who have been passengers on space-tourist flights are also included in this article, although there is disagreement over whether such passengers should be referred to as "astronauts."[1]
| # | Image | Name & birth date | Notes | Missions & launch dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Guion Bluford November 22, 1942 | First African-American astronaut in space | [2] | |
| 2 |  | Ronald McNair October 21, 1950 †January 28, 1986 | FirstBaháʼí in space; died in theSpace ShuttleChallenger disaster | [2] | |
| 3 |  | Frederick D. Gregory January 7, 1941 | First African American to pilot and command a Space Shuttle mission; actingAdministrator of NASA, 2005 | [2] | |
| 4 |  | Charles Bolden August 19, 1946 | Administrator of NASA, July 17, 2009 – January 20, 2017 | [2] | |
| 5 |  | Mae Jemison October 17, 1956 | First African-American woman in space |
| [2] |
| 6 |  | Bernard A. Harris Jr. June 26, 1956 | First African American to walk in space | [2] | |
| 7 |  | Winston E. Scott August 6, 1950 | Veteran of three spacewalks | [2] | |
| 8 |  | Robert Curbeam March 5, 1962 | Veteran of seven spacewalks | [2] | |
| 9 |  | Michael P. Anderson December 25, 1959 †February 1, 2003 | Died in theSpace ShuttleColumbia disaster | [2] | |
| 10 |  | Stephanie Wilson September 27, 1966 | [2] | ||
| 11 |  | Joan Higginbotham August 3, 1964 |
| [2] | |
| 12 |  | Alvin Drew November 5, 1962 | Veteran of two spacewalks, February 28 and March 2, 2011 | [2] | |
| 13 | .jpg) | Leland D. Melvin February 15, 1964 | Associate Administrator for Education at NASA | [2] | |
| 14 |  | Robert Satcher September 22, 1965 | EVA November 19 and November 23, 2009 |
| [2] |
| 15 |  | Victor J. Glover April 30, 1976 | Joined ISS Expedition 64 as first African-American on an ISS Expedition |
| [3][4] |
| 16 |  | Sian Proctor March 28, 1970 | First African American female Spacecraft Pilot, as part ofInspiration4. First African American commercial Astronaut. |
| |
| 17 | .jpg) | Michael Strahan November 21, 1971 | First African American space tourist |
| |
| 18 |  | Jessica Watkins May 14, 1988 | First African American woman to be an ISS expedition crew member |
| |
| 19 | Jaison Robinson September 25, 1980 |
| |||
| 20 |  | Jeanette J. Epps November 2, 1970 | On August 4, 2023, NASA announced that Epps would joinSpaceX Crew-8 that launched to space on March 4, 2024.[5] |
| [6] |
| 21 |  | Ed Dwight September 9, 1933 | Considered as the first African-American astronaut candidate, Ed Dwight made it to the second round of an Air Force program from which NASA selected astronauts, but was not selected by NASA to be an astronaut. Resigned from the Air Force in 1966 due to racial politics. In May, 2024, Dwight flew on a Blue Origin space tourist launch that traveled more than 100 km above Earth's surface, becoming at age 90 the oldest person to have flown to space. |
| [7][8] |
| 22 |  | Aisha Bowe November 4, 1986 |
| [9] | |
 | Gayle King December 28, 1954 | ||||
| 23 |  | Christopher Williams October 19, 1983 | First African American to travel to space onboard aSoyuz spacecraft |
|
| Image | Name & birth date | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. October 2, 1935 †December 8, 1967 | First African-American astronaut; selected for astronaut training in 1967 for theMOL program; died in an aircraft accident | [10] |
 | Livingston L. Holder Jr. September 29, 1956 | USAFastronaut in theManned Spaceflight Engineer Program | [11] |
| Michael E. Belt September 9, 1957 | Astronaut, payload specialist from TERRA SCOUT – US Army Project; retired January 12, 1991. Although he did not fly any shuttle missions during his time as an astronaut, he was the back-up payload specialist toThomas J. Hennen for theSTS-44 mission which deployed a military satellite, undergoing 9 months of astronaut training for the role[12] He was selected as an astronaut through theUS Army's Terra Scout program which was created specifically to supportSTS-44.[13] | [6] | |
 | Yvonne Cagle April 24, 1959 | In NASA management | [6] |
the title of astronaut is more than just a distinction for those space travelers serving as envoys of mankind as they explore worlds beyond earth's atmosphere. It is a mark of someone granted special status under international law; a status that will be questioned as more space tourists and entrepreneurs take to the skies.
Four other African-Americans were selected by NASA as astronauts that did not have the opportunity to fly in space: Livingston Holder, Michael E. Belt, Yvonne Cagle, and Jeanette J. Epps. Each of these dedicated people believed in the advancement of human knowledge and space exploration, and some made the ultimate sacrifice doing what they felt was worth the risk for this endeavor.
Dwight completed that challenge and reached the edge of space at the age of 90, making him the oldest person to venture to such heights, according to a spokesperson from Blue Origin.
He became a satellite countdown controller, worked on classified missions and earned a position with the competitive Manned Spaceflight Engineer program. While training as an astronaut, he witnessed the faces of NASA's space shuttle program shift to include women and minorities, along with the white men who first inspired him.
