Category: Orbital commercial astronauts
Hits: 688

John Shoffner

John Shoffner is an American racing driver, investor, and pilot. In May 2021, he paid for a seat on Axiom Mission 2, the second entirely-private crew mission to the International Space Station. Shoffner served as the pilot of the Crew Dragon crew vehicle, which launched on May 21, 2023. Shoffner is also an air show pilot and has over 8,500 flight hours in fixed-wing aircraft, decommissioned military aircraft, and helicopters. He owns a Republic P-47D Thunderbolt warbird named "Wicked Wabbit". Shoffner’s professional career led him to the forefront of the fiber optic telecommunications industry at its earliest stages. He formed Dura-Line Corporation, developing and patenting multiple processes for materials and methods for the placement of fiber optic cable during the 1980s. As the use of fiber cable to replace copper networks began to spread around the world, Shoffner led the company into each new developing market — first to Europe and then with the fall of the Berlin wall, into the emerging new economies of eastern Europe, and finally on to India and China. The company thrived in each market and became a world leader with operations in nine countries. Dura-Line remains a world market leader today. During the Ax-2 mission, Shoffner worked to bring awareness to the new era of space through scientific research, technology demonstrations, and various outreach and educational events aimed at empowering educators and inspiring students to follow their core interests. Shoffner believes this new era has opened doors for careers never possible before, where STEM education is the best tool to equip students to achieve their goals and live their most purposeful life.

Astronaut info

Country: USA USA
Born: July 25, 1955
Career/Title:
  • Racing driver
  • Sky diver
  • Pilot
  • Investor
Space missions:
  • Ax-2 (2023)
Spacewalks 0
Time in space 9d 5h 27m
Website: /
Category: Orbital commercial astronauts
Hits: 2301

Dennis Tito

Dennis Tito is an American engineer, businessman and entrepreneur who became in 2001 the first space tourist. He payed for his own trip into space and spent nearly eight days in orbit as a crew member of the Soyuz TM-32/ISS EP-1 mission. During this mission he visited the International Space Station and performed several scientific experiments in orbit that he said were useful for his company and business. Dennis Tito holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Astronautics and Aeronautics from New York University and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute satellite campus in Hartford, Connecticut. He worked as an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where he helped to plan and monitor the Mariner 4 and 9 missions to Mars. In 1972, Tito founded the Wilshire Associates, a leading provider of investment management, consulting and technology services in California. Dennis Tito paid a reported $20 million for his space adventure. After his historic flight, Tito returned to his position at Wilshire Associates of which he sold his interests in 2020. On 12 October 2022, SpaceX announced that Dennis and his wife Akiko Tito will be on the crew of the second commercial spaceflight of Starship around the Moon.

Astronaut info

Country: Israel USA
Born: August 8, 1940
Career/Title:
  • Entrepreneur (founder of Wilshire Associates)
Space missions:
  • Soyuz TM-32 (2001)
Spacewalks 0
Time in space 07d 22h 04m
Website: /
Category: Orbital commercial astronauts
Hits: 2210

Eytan Stibbe

Eytan Stibbe is a former Israeli fighter pilot, businessman and commercial astronaut. After he started his fighter pilot training course in 1976, Stibbe flew thousands of hours in Skyhawk, Phantom and F-16 fighter aircraft. During his time in the Israeli Air Force he was assigned to 117 Squadron flying F-16 fighter jets under the command of Colonel Ilan Ramon, who later became the first ever Israeli to fly in space aboard NASA's STS-107 space mission. He also served as a flight instructor at the Israeli Air Force Flight Academy from 2013-2019. After his military service, Stibbe joined a team of advisers at Israel Aircraft Industries and he also became a member of the advisory committee of Bridges Israel which is an impact investment fund that invests in Israeli businesses. In November 2020 Aytan Stibbe paid the American space company Axiom Space to become a space tourist on a private space mission to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Fot his space trip Stibbe paid $55 million.

Astronaut info

Country: Israel Israel
Born: January 12, 1958
Career/Title:
  • Fighter pilot (Israeli Air Force)
  • Businessman (Vital Capital)
Space missions:
  • Ax-1 (2022)
Spacewalks 0
Time in space 17d 1h 48m
Website: /
Category: Orbital commercial astronauts
Hits: 2503

Mark Pathy

Mark Pathy is a Canadian businessman and commercial astronaut. He is the CEO of Mavrik, a privately owned Canadian investment company and he is also the chairman of the publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment company Stingray Group. In January 2021, it was announced that Mark Pathy paid for a seat on board SpaceX Axiom Space-1 as a mission specialist alongside Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe and Michael López-Alegría. This privately funded spaceflight was operated by the American space company Axiom Space. It was the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and a pivotal step toward Axiom Station, the world's first commercial space station. Mark Pathy was launched on April 9, 2022 and stayed in space for more than 17 days. For his trip to space, he paid $50 million.

Astronaut info

Country: Canada Canada
Born: July, 1969
Career/Title:
  • CEO of Mavrik
  • Chairman of Stingray Group
Space missions:
  • Ax-1 (2022)
Spacewalks 0
Time in space 17d 1h 48m
Website: /
Category: Orbital commercial astronauts
Hits: 2859

Charles Simonyi

Charles Simonyi is a Hungarian-American software architect who started and led Microsoft's applications group, where he built the first versions of Microsoft Office. He co-founded and led Intentional Software which was acquired by Microsoft in 2017. Simonyi was born in Budapest, Hungary after which he moved to the USA in 1968 to study. In 2006, Simonyi expressed interest in becoming a space tourist and signed agreements with the space tourism company, Space Adventures, for a ten-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS). For this first spaceflight, he paid $20 million. In April 2007, aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft, he became the fifth space tourist and the second Hungarian in space. In March 2009, aboard the Soyuz TMA-14 spaecraft, he made a second trip to the International Space Station (ISS). All together, Simonyi spent more than 26 days in space.

Astronaut info

Country: USAUSA Hungary/USA
Born: September 10, 1948
Career/Title:
  • Software architect
Space missions:
  • Soyuz TMA-10 (2007)
  • Soyuz TMA-14 (2009)
Spacewalks 0
Time in space 26d 14h 27m
Website: /

More Articles …