A Dubai-based Pakistani adventurer is all set to become the first person from her country to embark on a space journey with Virgin Galactic’s private commercial spaceflight today, Friday, after waiting 17 years to realize her dream.
Virgin Galactic, a California-based spaceflight company founded in 2004, will launch its fourth commercial spaceflight on Friday with three space tourists from the United States, United Kingdom and Pakistan’s Namira Salim, who will make history as the first Pakistani to venture into space.
Previously, she has hoisted the country’s flag on the North and South Poles in 2007 and 2008, respectively, and earned the title of being the first Asian to skydive over Mount Everest.
In 2011, the Pakistan government officially recognized Salim’s achievements by bestowing upon her the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, or Medal of Excellence. The aspiring astronaut also received the Femina Middle East Women Award in 2016 for her passion for space exploration.
“The #Galactic04 spaceflight will now take place on the second day of our flight window – Friday, October 6 to give our team an additional day to complete vehicle prep and checks. We look forward to taking to the skies in a few days!”
In an interview to Arab News last month, Salim said she signed a contract with Virgin Galactic and purchased her ticket in 2006.
“But who knew at that time it would take 17 years to materialize this dream,” said the adventurer, who traveled to Pakistan last month to officially receive the green flag that she will take with her on the space journey.
“Flying the green flag high will be a great honor for me.”
Salim said she paid $200,000 for the ticket in 2006, though the current price of the flight was $450,000.
Her training session was scheduled at a private spaceport in New Mexico, alongside her fellow American and British travelers.
“Our mission involves breaking orbit and re-entering the atmosphere,” she said.
“Such flights typically take nine to 11 minutes with ground-up rocket launches. However, our flight differs as our spaceship will be carried to 50,000 feet by a mothership before it is released, igniting the rocket motor engine to reach space from that altitude.”
Asked about her passion for space, Salim said it was her childhood dream since her father, an army man, introduced her to the pole star and taught her about constellations in the northern sky.
“I always say that space is in my DNA,” she said. “When I was very young, I used to tell my parents that I did not want to play with toys. I wanted to go to space and, by the time I turned 14, my father bought me my first telescope.”
She said Pakistan should follow the example of new space nations such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, who were opening up to commercial space ventures to create opportunities for human spaceflight.
“The UAE and Saudi Arabia have made impressive strides in embracing the new space age and the commercialization of space,” she said.
“The UAE’s first astronaut and Saudi Arabia’s recent missions, including sending both male and female astronauts, have been inspiring for their entire nations.”
When asked about her future plans, Salim said she was involved in the development of a three-unit cube satellite, in collaboration with university students.
The initiative, she said, was led by her nonprofit, Space Trust, and had been sponsored by the United Nations.
“The project, known as ‘Zero G 2030,’ represents the first peace mission to space where we will carry messages of peace in this student-built satellite into orbit, along with collaboration from two university partners, the University of Nairobi in Kenya and the University of Arizona in the US,” Salim said.
