Mark Richard Shuttleworth
Mark Richard Shuttleworth is a South African-British entrepreneur, software executive, and private astronaut. In 2002 he became the first South African, and the first citizen of an independent African country, to travel to space.
- Born
- September 18, 1973
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Welkom,South Africa
Flights
1
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
9 days, 21 hours, 25 minutes
Bio
Before spaceflight, Shuttleworth founded Thawte, an internet security company, and later founded Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu. His technical and entrepreneurial background shaped the public meaning of his flight: it linked early commercial internet culture with private human spaceflight.
He launched aboard Soyuz TM-34 and returned on Soyuz TM-33 after visiting the International . During the mission he supported education outreach and science activity, including South African research themes tied to biology and technology.
Shuttleworth's flight helped establish that private orbital visitors could carry national, educational, and technical programs rather than simply purchase a seat. His career belongs in the archive as part of the transition from government-only crews toward broader commercial access to orbit.