Marc Garneau, 1st Canadian astronaut to fly into space, dies at 76

The first Canadian astronaut to fly into space has died at the age of 76.

Marc Garneau, who made three flights on NASA’s space shuttle missions, died on Wednesday (June 4), after what his family described as a short illness.

“We are deeply grateful to Marc Garneau for his extraordinary public service, visionary leadership and enduring contributions to Canada and the world,” said Lisa Campbell, president of the Canadian Space Agency, in a statement.” Beyond his remarkable achievements, Marc was an exceptional human being: thoughtful, principled and deeply committed to serving others. His integrity and generosity of spirit touched everyone who had the privilege to work with him.”

“His legacy will continue to inspire us as we advance the role of space in improving life on Earth,” said Campbell.

Garneau’s first flight into space was also the first to include seven crew members. Chosen as one of Canada’s first six astronauts. Garneau launched on Oct. 5, 1984 as a payload specialist aboard the U.S. space shuttle Challenger.

His seat to space was part of the deal between NASA and Canada’s National Research Council (the predecessor to the Canadian Space Agency) in return for Canada providing the shuttle’s remote manipulator system, or robotic arm, named the Canadarm. During the STS-41G mission, Garneau tested a new vision system used for controlling the arm, in addition to nine other Canadian-sponsored experiments and demonstrations.

After standing down for the Challenger tragedy in 1986 and being selected to train as a NASA mission specialist, Garneau launched twice more, on STS-77 in 1996 and STS-97 in 2000. On his second flight, he conducted more Canadian experiments and used the Canadarm to deploy and capture a free-flying research platform. On his third and final mission, Garneau helped install the first pair of giant solar array wings for the International Space Station.

In total, Garneau logged nearly 30 days in space while orbiting Earth 465 times.

A captain in Canada’s Maritime Command prior to becoming an astronaut, Garneau continued his record of public service by leading the Canadian Space Agency from from 2001 to 2005. He then entered politics, winning a seat in Canada’s Parliament, which he held for 15 years. In 2015, he also was named Minister of Transport and then became the Minister of Foreign Affairs prior to his retirement in 2023.

“I don’t want to be defined by what I did up there, but rather who I am,” Garneau said upon throwing his hat in the ring to became the leader of the Liberal Party and Canada’s Prime Minister (he withdrew his candidacy four months later).”

For his role as a Canadian astronaut, Garneau was named as an officer of the Order of Canada in 1984 and then promoted to the rank of companion in 2003. He received the NASA Space Flight Medal and Exceptional Service Medal and was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1992, among other awards.

“A naval officer, a history-making astronaut, and a public servant of exceptional distinction, he brought dedication and duty to every post he held,” said Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney in a statement. “May we all remember him for the national pride and possibility he represented to us all.”

Garneau was preceded in death by his first wife and mother to two of his children, Jacqueline Brown, and his brother Philippe. He is survived by his second wife, Pam, and four children Yves, Simone, George and Adrien.