Rodolfo Neri Vela

Rodolfo Neri Vela, an engineer born in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, was the first Mexican astronaut: in November 1985 he flew as a payload specialist on the space shuttle Atlantis (mission STS-61-B), which put the Mexican satellite Morelos II into orbit.

Don’t confuse him with José Hernández, a NASA astronaut of Mexican descent who flew in 2009, or with Katya Echazarreta, the first Mexican-born woman in space (2022).