During the height of the Space Race, France’s space program recruited 14 female cats from the streets of Paris to undergo rigorous training for atmospheric flight, including centrifuge testing and compression chambers. Among them, a calm black-and-white tuxedo cat known simply as C 341 stood out due to her excellent temperament and stable vital signs.
On October 18, 1963, France launched C 341 into space aboard a Veronique AGI rocket from a base in the Sahara Desert. The rocket soared to an altitude of 157 kilometers (97 miles), subjecting the feline astronaut to 5 minutes of weightlessness and up to 9.5 g of acceleration force. The nose cone capsule safely parachuted back to Earth 13 minutes after launch. Following her successful recovery, the French media affectionately dubbed the heroic space pioneer "Félicette," making her a permanent icon in the history of space exploration.
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