France is actively involved in manned space flights. All French cosmonauts have participated in various missions
on American and Russian spacecraft. The first French astronaut was Jean-Loup Chretien, who
made his first space flight in June 1982 on the Soviet Soyuz T-6 spacecraft.
Jean-Loup Chretien was the first, excluding cosmonauts from the USSR and the USA, to make two space flights, he
was also the first French cosmonaut to make a second and third space flight. Chretien became the first
cosmonaut from Western Europe. France became the tenth country whose citizen made a space flight.
In December 1988, during his flight to the Mir station, Jean-Loup Chretien became the first, excluding cosmonauts
of the USSR and the USA, to perform a spacewalk.
Chretien's backup for the flight to Soyuz T-6 was Patrick Baudry,
who became the second French cosmonaut to make a space flight in June 1985 on the
American shuttle Discovery STS-51G.
Chretien was Baudry's backup.
Four French astronauts have performed spacewalks. Jean-Loup Chretien and Jean-Pierre Haignere
performed spacewalks in Russian spacesuits. Philippe Perrin and Thomas Pesquet performed spacewalks in American spacesuits.
Thomas Pesquet has performed the most spacewalks among French astronauts - 6 spacewalks with a total duration of 39 hours and 54 minutes.
France, through the European Space Agency, is participating in the International Space Station project. Ten French astronauts have flown into space to date, including one woman, Claudie Andre-Deshaies. Two astronauts made three space flights each.
The longest space flight among French astronauts was made by Thomas Pesquet - 199 days 17 hours
44 minutes (4793 hours 44 minutes). After this flight, Pesquet also became the record holder among French astronauts
for the total duration of space flights - 396 days 11 hours 34 minutes 25 seconds (9515 hours
34 minutes 25 seconds).
A total of ten French astronauts made 19 space flights: 9 of them on Russian (USSR) spacecraft «Soyuz», 9 on Space Shuttle
and one on the US SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Among the French astronauts there is one woman: Claudie Andre-Deshaies
(Enière), who made two space flights on the Russian ships
«Soyuz TM-24» and
«Soyuz TM-33».
List of French astronauts.
