Namira Salim is poised to achieve a historic milestone as the first Pakistani to journey to the final frontier aboard a Virgin Galactic space plane today (Friday).
Ahead of her departure alongside three other space travelers, she expressed her pride in representing Pakistan in space, stating, “Proud to fly the national flag high in space Insha’Allah on October 6,” on social media.
The trio of passengers includes British advertising executive Trevor Beattie, American astronomy educator Ron Rosano, and Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic’s chief astronaut instructor.
Virgin Galactic recently announced a one-day delay in their next space tourism mission, now scheduled for Friday, October 6, allowing for additional vehicle preparations and checks.
The upcoming mission, known as Galactic 04, will send three paying customers on a suborbital journey aboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity space plane. This trajectory will provide passengers with several minutes of weightlessness while offering a view of the Earth’s curvature against the backdrop of outer space.
The mission will launch from New Mexico’s Spaceport America with Unity taking off beneath the wings of its carrier plane, Virgin Mothership (VMS) Eve. Galactic 04 marks Virgin Galactic’s fourth commercial spaceflight after missions in June, August, and September this year.
Jameel Janjua, a Pakistani-Canadian pilot, will be at the helm of the ship carrying the Virgin Galactic space plane. He brings extensive flying experience to the mission, having completed over 4,000 flying hours in more than 45 different vehicles before joining Virgin Galactic.
Namira Salim’s historic journey to space garnered praise from Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, who lauded her as the first woman from Pakistan to venture into space. He commended her as a trailblazer representing Pakistani women in various fields.
Namira Salim holds the distinction of being among the first 100 individuals to secure a ticket with Virgin Galactic back in 2006 when the price was $200,000. It has since risen to $450,000. She is also the founder and chairperson of the nonprofit Space Trust and has previously achieved remarkable feats, being the first Pakistani to visit both the North Pole (in April 2007) and the South Pole (in January 2008).
