Owolabi Salis Makes History as First Nigerian in Space via Blue Origin
Owolabi Salis, a US-based Nigerian lawyer and politician, has made history as the first Nigerian to travel to space.
Salis was among six crew members aboard Blue Origin’s NS-33 mission, which launched from West Texas on June 29, 2025. The suborbital flight, operated under the New Shepard programme, reached a peak altitude of 105.2 kilometres—crossing the Kármán line, the internationally recognised boundary of space.
Joining him on the 10-minute journey were Allie Kuehner, Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr., and Jim Sitkin.
“This mission is more than just a trip into space, it’s a spiritual journey, a call to inspire future generations,” Salis said before liftoff.
Born in Ikorodu, Lagos, Salis is a chartered accountant and attorney licensed to practise in both Nigeria and the United States. Beyond law and accounting, he is also the author of Equitocracy, a book proposing a democratic system based on fairness and equity.
Salis expressed his hope that his space journey would ignite interest in aerospace across the continent: “This mission is more than just a trip into space, it’s a spiritual journey, a call to inspire future generations.”
He previously became the first Black African to visit both the Arctic and Antarctic in the same season.
A familiar name in Lagos politics, Salis has contested various governorship races and once challenged the 2019 election result in court, albeit unsuccessfully.
With his flight on NS-33, Salis now joins the elite ranks of citizen astronauts and becomes a symbol of new frontiers for Nigerians in science, politics, and exploration.
