Namira Salim, First Pakistani woman to embark on spaceflight today

Pakistan’s first woman Namira Salim, is ready to brace for her journey beyond the skies today (Friday) with Virgin Galactic.

Before the flight, the space enthusiast said on social media, “Proud to fly the national flag high in space Insha’Allah on October 6.”

Trevor Beattie, a British advertising professional, and Ron Rosano, a US astronomy educator, will be Salim’s traveling companions. Beth Moses, the chief astronaut instructor at Virgin Galactic, will also be a part of the group.

Virgin Galactic revealed on Tuesday that it had postponed its upcoming space tourism flight by one day, to Friday, October 6.

Salim is one of three paying passengers taken into suborbital space and back on Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spacecraft as part of the Galactic 04, the company’s fourth voyage in 2023.

The launch of Virgin’s Unity will take place at Spaceport America in New Mexico.

As they won’t be reaching orbit, the suborbital trajectory will provide passengers with several minutes of weightlessness before they return to Earth and a view of the Earth’s curvature against the background of space.

Pakistani Astronaut’s first flight

Jameel Janjua, a Pakistani-Canadian pilot of the VMS Eve, will transport the trio out of this world.

Janjua, who has more than 4,000 flight hours in more than 45 different aircraft, will pilot the spacecraft alongside Kelly Latimer and CJ Sturckow. After the mission, both vehicles will head back to Spaceport America.

Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, the acting prime minister, also expressed his congratulations to Namira Salim for becoming the first woman from Pakistan to travel to space.

Kakar had wrote on his X account, wishing her well, “By proving their mettle as trailblazers in multiple fields, Pakistani women are making the whole nation proud.”