Latest News About Oldest Living Astronaut

Updated 2026-04-27 00:03

Direct answer: As of late April 2026, Buzz Aldrin is the oldest living former moonwalker, at age 96, with no public reports indicating a newer, older active astronaut surpassing that age in ongoing spaceflight or active-duty status. For the very latest, I can pull fresh news if you’d like me to search.

Key context:

Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) is widely cited as the oldest living person with Moon-landing credentials, currently around 96, as of January 2026. If there were any new developments or an older active astronaut in flight or service, they would be covered by major space-news outlets.[5]
Don Pettit, mentioned in several 2025 pieces, was NASA’s oldest active astronaut at age 70 on a recent ISS mission, but this is well younger than Aldrin’s age. Aldrin’s status as the oldest living moonwalker remains notably distinct from current active-duty astronauts.[2][5]
News coverage in 2025–2026 consistently highlights Aldrin’s milestone age and status among surviving Apollo-era astronauts, rather than a newer oldest living astronaut surpassing him by age in active duty.[9][5]

What I can do next:

Look up the very latest headlines to confirm if any older living astronaut has emerged or if Aldrin’s status has changed. If you want, I’ll fetch up-to-date sources and summarize them with citations.

Sources

NASA’s oldest active astronaut returns to Earth on 70th birthday

NASA astronaut Don Pettit became a septuagenarian while hurtling towards the Earth in a spacecraft to wrap up a seven-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

www.gmanetwork.com

NASA’s oldest astronaut felt the decades melt away in space before returning on his 70th birthday

NASA's oldest full-time astronaut is back home and doing well a week after wrapping up a seven-month space mission.

www.clickorlando.com

NASA's Oldest Astronaut Returns from Cosmic Adventure at 70

Don Pettit, NASA's oldest active astronaut, recently returned from a seven-month mission on the ISS at age 70. Celebrating his birthday in space, Pettit spent 220 days orbiting Earth, feeling decades younger in microgravity. Despite post-landing challenges like vomiting due to gravity, Pettit's enthusiasm for space remains undiminished as he advocates for extending the ISS's operational life beyond 2030. Ready for future missions, Pettit's journey challenges age stereotypes and continues to...

opentools.ai

Oldest astronaut Buzz Aldrin turns 96 as new moon ... - Phys.org

Buzz Aldrin, the second man and only one of 12 to ever walk on the moon, turns 96 today. He's just one of four living moonwalkers and the oldest remaining astronaut still making trips around the sun.

phys.org