Six decades after the first human reached space, a Nigerian will finally get the chance to follow in those footsteps. This opportunity comes from a partnership between the Space Exploration & Research Agency (SERA) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).
SERA has secured a seat for a Nigerian on an upcoming Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital spaceflight. This SERA-funded project is open to all Nigerians aged 18 and above.
This initiative is part of a broader collaboration with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to send six individuals from underrepresented countries into space. Last year, the initiative sent Brazilian civil engineer Victor Hespanha to space.
“Until now, space has been an exclusive domain, with over 80% of all astronauts to date coming from just three countries. Nigeria has a rich history of scientific and technological innovation, and we are honoured to partner with NASRDA to extend this legacy into space and create new opportunities for Nigerian space explorers,” said Joshua Skurla, Co-Founder of SERA.
This is a significant step in Nigeria’s space journey. Nigeria has been working towards space exploration for over two decades.
The National Space Policy was approved in 2000, two years after NASRDA was established. Nigeria launched its first satellite, Nigeria Sat-1, in 2003 and has launched five more since. In 2016, Nigeria announced plans to send its first astronaut to space by 2030.
“We are delighted to see this partnership come to fruition. Human space flight is not just a random aspiration of our country,” said Uche Godfrey Nnaji, Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Dr. Matthew Adepoju, Director General of NASRDA, called the partnership “a testament to Nigeria’s growing role in the global space community.”
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