The news:
- The Nigerian government has announced its plans to send the first citizen to space almost six decades after the first human landed there.
- Mathew Adepoju, the Director General/Chief Executive of Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), disclosed the development at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
- Adepoju credited the development to the partnership between the NASRDA and the Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA), a global space agency.
“This collaboration, which is coming to the country, marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s 25th anniversary of Space Exploration journey and opens new opportunities for scientific research and technological advancement,” Adepoju assured.
Adepoju described the partnership with SERA as a testament to the country’s growing prominence in the international space community.
Under the collaboration, SERA will reserve a seat for a Nigerian citizen on an upcoming Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital spaceflight.
The SERA-funded project is open to all Nigerians aged 18 years and above.
The development is an offshoot of SERA’s ongoing partnership with Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin to send six people from countries historically underrepresented in space exploration.
In 2022, the initiative sent Victor Hespanha, a Brazilian civil engineer, to space. Soon, a Nigerian will join the list.
As Joshua Skurla, Co-Founder of SERA, puts it, “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.”
The National Space Policy (NSP) was approved in 2000, two years after the NASRDA was established, to venture into new frontiers through space exploration and exploitation.
In 2003, Nigeria launched its first satellite — Nigeria Sat-1— and has since gone on to launch five more.
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In 2016, the Federal Government of Nigeria disclosed its plans to send its first astronaut to space by 2030.
Uche Godfrey Nnaji, Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, expressed delight about the partnership as he signed the MoU on behalf of the Federal Government.
