Owolabi Salis, a lawyer and politician from Nigeria, has made history as the first Nigerian to travel into space. He flew into space on June 29, 2025, as part of Blue Origin's NS-33 mission, which took off from West Texas. He was joined by five other people: Allie Kuehner, Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr., and Jim Sitkin.
Accordgin to Space in Africa, the short flight lasted about 10 minutes and took the group past the Kármán line, the point where space officially begins, reaching a height of 105.2 kilometers.
With this flight, Salis joined a small group of private individuals who have gone to space through Blue Origin's New Shepard program, started by Jeff Bezos.
Before the launch, Salis shared what the trip meant to him:
"This mission is more than just a trip into space, it's a spiritual journey, a call to inspire future generations," he said.
He also said he hoped his journey would get more Africans interested in space travel and science.
