ISLAMABAD: Today (Friday), Namira Salim, the founder and chairperson of the nonprofit Space Trust, will make history as she prepares for her journey into space with Virgin Galactic, becoming the first Pakistani to venture beyond the skies.
On social media, the space enthusiast announced her intention to fly the national flag high in space on October 6, saying, “Proud to fly the national flag high in space, Insha’Allah.”
Trevor Beattie, a British advertising professional, and Ron Rosano, a US astronomy educator, will accompany Salim on her journey. Beth Moses, the chief astronaut instructor at Virgin Galactic, will also join the group.
Virgin Galactic announced on Tuesday that it had postponed its upcoming space tourism flight by one day, moving it to Friday, October 6.
Salim is a member of Galactic 04, Virgin Galactic’s fourth mission in 2023. She is one of the three paying customers who will be sent into suborbital space and back aboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity space plane.
Virgin’s Unity will take off from New Mexico’s Spaceport America. The suborbital trajectory will provide passengers with several minutes of weightlessness before they return to Earth, offering a view of the Earth’s curvature against the backdrop of outer space, as they will not be reaching orbit.
Pakistan’s first space pilot
Jameel Janjua, a Pakistani-Canadian pilot with over 4,000 flying hours in more than 45 vehicles, will pilot the VMS Eve, taking the trio out of this world. Kelly Latimer and CJ Sturckow will also be flying the space plane, and both vehicles will return to Spaceport America after completing the mission.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar extended congratulations to Namira Salim for her historic achievement as the first woman from Pakistan to venture into space. Kakar expressed his pride in Pakistani women who are trailblazers in various fields and wished Namira Salim luck through his official X account.
Namira Salim was among the initial 100 individuals to purchase a ticket from Virgin Galactic in 2006 for $200,000. The cost of her journey has since increased to $450,000.
As a seasoned adventurer, Namira previously achieved the distinction of being the first Pakistani to visit both the North Pole in April 2007 and the South Pole in January 2008.
