US-based lawyer and political figure Owolabi Salis has made history as the first Nigerian to travel beyond Earth’s atmosphere after flying aboard Blue Origin’s NS-33 suborbital mission. The spacecraft lifted off from West Texas on June 29, 2025, carrying Salis and five other private passengers—Allie Kuehner, Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr and Jim Sitkin—on a roughly 10-minute flight that crossed the Kármán line, the internationally recognised boundary of outer space, reaching a peak altitude of 105.2 kilometres. The mission was conducted under Blue Origin’s New Shepard programme, which enables civilians to experience spaceflight without the rigorous training required of professional astronauts.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Salis described the journey as a spiritual and inspirational milestone, expressing hope that it would encourage African youths to pursue interests in science, technology and space exploration. A native of Ikorodu, Lagos State, Salis is a chartered accountant and lawyer licensed to practise in Nigeria and the United States, and the author of Equitocracy, a book advocating justice and inclusivity. He has also previously set records as the first Black African to visit both the Arctic and Antarctic in the same season and has remained active in Lagos politics, having contested the governorship under various party platforms over the years.