The Elton John song describing a lonely astronaut far from home is "Rocket Man."
Officially titled "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)," the song was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and released in 1972 as the lead single from Honky Château. Its narrator is a Mars-bound astronaut who treats space travel as a job while feeling emotionally distant from his family and life on Earth.
Taupin drew on the idea of an astronaut separated from loved ones, with inspiration connected to Ray Bradbury's short story "The Rocket Man" from The Illustrated Man. The song also became associated with David Bowie's "Space Oddity," although Taupin said Bowie was not the song's direct inspiration.
"Rocket Man" reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom and No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of John's signature songs. The answer is sometimes confused with "Space Oddity," whose central character is Major Tom, or with "Starman," another space-themed song by David Bowie.