Namira Salim is on the verge of making history as she prepares to become the very first Pakistani to journey into outer space aboard a Virgin Galactic aircraft. Her excitement and national pride were evident as she shared her journey on social media, scheduled for October 6. Joining her on this momentous flight are Trevor Beattie, a British advertising executive, and Ron Rosano, an astronomy educator from the United States. They will be accompanied by Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic’s chief astronaut instructor, forming a group of four space travelers.
Virgin Galactic had initially scheduled the launch for Tuesday but decided to delay it by a day to ensure thorough preparations and safety checks. This mission, known as Galactic 04, offers paying customers a suborbital space experience. Passengers will enjoy several minutes of weightlessness and witness the breathtaking curvature of Earth against the backdrop of space from the Unity space plane. The spacecraft will take off beneath the wings of Virgin Mothership Eve (VMS Eve) from the Spaceport America in New Mexico.
Notably, Galactic 04 marks Virgin Galactic’s fourth commercial spaceflight endeavor, following successful flights in June, August, and September of the same year. Interestingly, VMS Eve, the carrier plane, is piloted by Jameel Janjua, a Pakistani of Canadian origin with an impressive flying record of over 4,000 hours across more than 45 different aircraft types before joining Virgin Galactic.
Namira Salim holds the distinction of being among the first 100 individuals to secure a ticket with Virgin Galactic, having made her reservation back in 2006 when the cost was $200,000. Over time, the ticket price has increased to $450,000. In addition to her space endeavors, Namira is the founder and chairperson of Space Trust, a nonprofit organization. Her adventurous spirit has led her to remarkable achievements, including being the first Pakistani to explore both the North Pole in April 2007 and the South Pole in January 2008.
