Nigerian politician and lawyer, Owolabi Salis, has etched his name in the history books by becoming the first Nigerian to travel to space.

 

Salis was aboard Blue Origin’s NS-33 mission, which launched from West Texas on Sunday, June 29. The brief but historic 10-minute flight reached a peak altitude of 105.2 kilometres, crossing the internationally recognized boundary of space known as the Kármán line.

 

The mission also had on board Carl Kuehner, Jim Sitkin, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr., and Allie Kuehner.

 

Ahead of the journey, Salis described the space mission as “more than just a trip into space,” calling it a “spiritual journey and a call to inspire future generations.”

 

This isn’t Salis’s first pioneering achievement. He previously made headlines as the first Black African to visit both the Arctic and Antarctic in the same season, further cementing his reputation as a trailblazer in exploration and advocacy.