Meet Owolabi Salis,The First Nigerian in Space

Nigerian-born lawyer and politician Owolabi Salis made history on June 29, 2025, when he flew aboard Blue Origin’s NS-33 suborbital mission, becoming the first Nigerian to journey into space.

The 10-minute flight lifted off from West Texas and carried six passengers beyond the Kármán line, the internationally recognised boundary of space, reaching a peak altitude of 105.2 kilometres.

Salis, born in Ikorodu, Lagos, is a chartered accountant and an attorney licensed to practise in both Nigeria and the United States. He also authored Equitocracy, a book advocating fairness and equity in governance, and previously became the first Black African to visit both the Arctic and Antarctic in the same season.

“This mission is more than just a trip into space, it’s a spiritual journey, a call to inspire future generations,” Salis said before liftoff, expressing his hope that the voyage will spark wider interest in space exploration across Africa. He joins a select group of “citizen astronauts” who have flown on Blue Origin’s New Shepard programme, a private space initiative founded by Jeff Bezos.

Fellow crew members on the NS-33 mission included Allie Kuehner, Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr., and Jim Sitkin. Their successful flight adds to the growing number of commercial suborbital missions and highlights the expanding role of private companies in making space travel more accessible.

As commercial operators like Blue Origin continue to offer civilian flights, more Nigerians may soon follow in Salis’s footsteps.