Who is Pakistan’s first astronaut Namira Salim?

Pakistan’s first female astronaut, Namira Salim, is gearing up for an unprecedented voyage into space.

The Dubai expat is poised to begin her space expedition on October 5 and will unfurl the national flag of Pakistan into space.

Virgin Galactic Holdings has officially disclosed that the Galactic 04 flight window is set to commence on October 5, 2023. Namira has already clinched the position of Astronaut No. 6 by Richard Branson.

On November 29, 2022, the Founder Astronaut of Virgin Galactic designated her seat, and her first chance for the journey will be facilitated by Astronaut 019, marking the first Pakistani to launch into space.

The Galactic 04 mission features three private astronauts who contribute diverse backgrounds and cultures to the venture, united by their shared enthusiasm for space, exploration, and adventure.

Namira has been recognized as the first space tourist of South Asian origin and first private astronaut to go to space from Dubai and Monaco.

In 2006, Ricahrd Branson introduced her as one of the earliest founders of Virgin Galactic. Namira completed her first sub-orbital spaceflight training in world’s most advanced high performance centrifuge, STS-400, at the Nastar Centre under supervision of Virgin Galactic in 2007.

Namira Salim is the founder and Executive Chairperson of Space Trust, a non-profit initiative launched in 2015. Space Trust engages world leaders, United Nations and global agencies to utilize space as a sustainable tool for peacemaking on Earth.

Namira has officially been recognised as the First Pakistani Astronaut by the government of Pakistan in 2006. In 2007, Namira served as Honorary Ambassador of Tourism for Pakistan, appointed by the Ministry of Tourism. She was the first Pakistani to have reached the North Pole in April 2007 and the South Pole in January 2008.

She also holds the distinction of being the first Asian and first Pakistani to skydive over Mount Everest during the historic First Everest Skydives 2008. She is a peace activist and was conferred with ‘Tamgha-e-Imtiaz’ (Medal of Excellence) in 2011. The President of Pakistan conferred Namira with one of the country’s highest civil decoration, ‘Tamgha-e-Imtiaz’.