Namira Salim, Pakistan’s pioneering female astronaut, is on the brink of an extraordinary journey into space.
Acknowledged as the First Pakistani Astronaut by the government of Pakistan in 2006, Namira has held several notable positions. In 2007, she was appointed as the Honorary Ambassador of Tourism for Pakistan by the Ministry of Tourism. Notably, Namira became the first Pakistani to reach both the North Pole in April 2007 and the South Pole in January 2008.
Her accomplishments extend further as the first Asian and first Pakistani to skydive over Mount Everest during the historic First Everest Skydives in 2008. A dedicated peace activist, Namira was honored with the ‘Tamgha-e-Imtiaz’ (Medal of Excellence) in 2011. She also received one of Pakistan’s highest civil decorations, the ‘Tamgha-e-Imtiaz,’ bestowed by the President of Pakistan.
Adventurer Namira Salim achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Pakistani to journey into space. She soared into the cosmos on Virgin Galactic’s fifth successful flight in just five months, as announced by the US company.
Salim, renowned for her expeditions to the poles and a daring parachute jump over Mount Everest, was among the early ticket buyers for Richard Branson’s space venture, which was established nearly two decades ago.
In a 2012 interview, Salim expressed her fondness for the title “first Pakistani astronaut,” likening it to being a cherished figure in the country.
Virgin Galactic revealed that Salim is a resident of both Monaco and the United Arab Emirates, making her the first person from Monaco and the first Emirati woman to venture into space.
Accompanying her on the “Galactic 04” trip were American Ron Rosano and Briton Trevor Beattie. The crew also included Beth Moses, a Virgin Galactic staff member, along with two pilots.
Distinguished from conventional vertical space launches, Virgin Galactic employs a specialized twin-fuselage aircraft to transport the passenger vessel to high altitudes. The spaceplane is then released, engaging its thrusters to propel it into space at speeds approaching Mach-3.
During this journey, passengers experience a few moments of weightlessness, allowing them to perform somersaults and marvel at the Earth’s curvature through the window.
The craft later glides back down, touching down just over an hour after liftoff from Spaceport in New Mexico.
In the suborbital space tourism sector, Virgin Galactic competes with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin. The latter has already sent 31 individuals into space via vertical liftoff rocket. However, Blue Origin’s rocket has been grounded since an accident during an unmanned flight in September 2022. The US aviation regulator concluded its investigation at the end of September, requesting changes before flights can resume.
