An American space venture has initiated a programme to fly the first Nigerian to space with Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space exploration company.
Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA), a US for-profit organization, which aims to increase spaceflight opportunities for citizens of countries with little or no space footprint, says it chose Nigeria to be part of the mission this time due to its status as “an emerging space nation” and its significant potential in space exploration.
Co-founder Joshua Skurla highlighted Nigeria’s early developmental stage in its space endeavours and the country’s aspiration to achieve more in space technology.
Nigeria’s large population and strong media presence were also key factors in this decision, providing a supportive environment for promoting the mission and engaging the public, according to Semafor.
In June 2022, SERA sent Brazilian engineer Victor Hespanha to space. However, Blue Origin halted tourist flights after an unmanned rocket’s engine nozzle malfunctioned in August 2022.
In March this year, Blue Origin resumed, sending six people to the edge of space from Texas on its first crewed mission since the grounding.
SERA’s next mission will also send six people to space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard flight, with one seat reserved for a Nigerian. The passengers will travel on a short journey to the edge of space, crossing the Kármán Line (the internationally recognized boundary of space at 100 km/62 miles altitude).
They will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and witness stunning views of the Earth.
Who gets the opportunity?
To select the Nigerian candidate, SERA will conduct a public online voting process. Any healthy adult resident with basic English proficiency can nominate themselves and seek public votes to improve their chances. A blockchain system will verify votes to ensure fairness.
The slot will be available till the end of the year or in 2025. Those interested can pre-register here.
On Wednesday, SERA signed a partnership agreement with Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency to enhance this opportunity and collaborate on scientific experiments to be conducted by the mission crew in space.
Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation and Science, Uche Godfrey Nnaji, said sending people to space aligns with the country’s major objectives and is not a random aspiration.
Nigeria launched its first satellite, Nigeria Sat-1, into orbit in 2003, and has launched a total of five satellites with the last one in 2009.
Phil Joyce, a senior vice president at Blue Origin, said the mission to fly a Nigerian to space aims to “inspire the next generation of space explorers,” reflecting the broader vision of encouraging global participation in space exploration.
“Until now, space has been an exclusive domain, with over 80% of all astronauts to date coming from just three countries,” said Joshua Skurla, Co-Founder of SERA.
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