Owolabi Salis, a Nigerian-born attorney and politician based in the United States, has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Nigerian to travel to space.
The chartered accountant and lawyer joined five other private astronauts aboard Blue Origin’s NS-33 suborbital mission on June 29, 2025, launching from West Texas. His fellow crew members were Allie Kuehner, Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr., and Jim Sitkin.
The brief 10-minute flight carried the team beyond the Kármán line—the internationally recognized threshold of space—reaching a maximum altitude of 105.2 kilometers, according to Space in Africa. Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin program allows civilians to experience spaceflight without traditional astronaut training requirements.
Before the launch, Salis described the mission’s deeper significance: “This mission is more than just a trip into space; it’s a spiritual journey, a call to inspire future generations.” He hopes his achievement will encourage young Africans to pursue careers in science, technology, and space exploration.
The Ikorodu, Lagos native holds professional qualifications as both a chartered accountant and an attorney, licensed to practice law in Nigeria and the United States. He authored “Equitocracy,” which outlines a democratic framework emphasizing fairness and equity across diverse communities. This space mission adds to his list of groundbreaking adventures—he previously became the first Black African to visit both polar regions within a single season.
Salis has maintained an active presence in Lagos State politics for over two decades. He pursued the People’s Democratic Party gubernatorial nomination in 2003 and 2007, ran as the Action Party of Nigeria candidate in 2007, and served as the Alliance for Democracy’s standard-bearer in 2019. After the 2019 election, he unsuccessfully challenged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s victory in court.
