List of Spaceflight-related Accidents and Incidents

List Of Spaceflight-related Accidents And Incidents

There have been a number of significant accidents and incidents in the history of spaceflight. In particular, incidents during human spaceflight missions have resulted in 18 astronaut and cosmonaut fatalities, as of 2010. Additionally, there have been some astronaut fatalities during other spaceflight-related activities, such as the Apollo 1 launch pad fire which killed all three crew members. There have also been some non-astronaut fatalities during spaceflight-related activities.

This article provides an overview of all known fatalities and near-fatalities that occurred during manned space missions, accidents during astronaut training and during the testing, assembling or preparing for flight of manned and unmanned spacecraft. Not included are fatalities occurring during intercontinental ballistic missile accidents, and Soviet or German rocket-fighter projects of World War II. Also not included are alleged unreported Soviet space accidents that are not believed by a majority of historians to have occurred.