Nigerian-born lawyer and politician Owolabi Salis has made history as the first Nigerian to travel to space.
Nigerian-born lawyer and politician Owolabi Salis has made history as the first Nigerian to travel to space. On June 29, Salis was part of Blue Origin’s NS-33 mission, which launched from West Texas and reached an altitude of 105.2 kilometers, crossing the Kármán line—the internationally recognized boundary of space.
According to Space in Africa, the suborbital flight lasted 10 minutes and included five other passengers: Allie Kuehner, Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr., and Jim Sitkin.
Salis, born in Ikorodu, Lagos, is a chartered accountant and licensed attorney in Nigeria and the U.S. He authored Equitocracy, advocating fairness in democratic systems. He was also the first Black African to visit both the Arctic and Antarctic in one season.
A seasoned politician, he ran for Lagos governorship multiple times and once challenged Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s election victory in court, though the tribunal ruled against him.