Bondar was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, on December 4, 1945. Her father, who worked for the Sault Ste. Marie Public Utilities Commission, is of Ukrainian descent, and her mother, an educator, is of English descent.

As one of the first six members of the Canadian Astronaut Corps selected in 1983, Bondar began astronaut training in 1984, and in 1992 she was designated Payload Specialist for the first International Microgravity Laboratory Mission (IML-1). Bondar flew on the NASA Space Shuttle Discovery during Mission STS-42, January 22–30, 1992, during which she performed over 40 experiments in the Spacelab. Her work studying the effects of low-gravity situations on the human body allowed NASA to prepare astronauts for long stays in the space station.

Bondar is the recipient of multiple honours and awards from organizations and universities across Canada. These honours include the Vanier Award in 1985 and the F.W. (Casey) Baldwin Award in 1985.

In 2009, Bondar registered The Roberta Bondar Foundation as a not-for-profit charity. The foundation centers on environmental awareness.

In 2009, Concordia University awarded Bondar the prestigious Loyola Medal.

Bondar was the first astronaut to receive a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. It was inducted on October 1, 2011 at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto.

In 2017, the Royal Canadian Mint released a limited edition 25th anniversary $25 coin entitled “A View of Canada from Space”. The unveiling of this honour was done in her hometown of Sault Ste. Marie at Sault College on November 1, 2016.

In 2018, Thebacha and Wood Buffalo Astronomical Society renamed its observatory to The Dr. Roberta Bondar Northern Observatory.