On Wednesday the 19th day of June, 2024, the Space Exploration & Research Agency (SERA) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) signed an MoU to send the first Nigerian into space. Under the partnership, SERA will reserve a seat on a Blue Origin suborbital spaceflight (The New Shepard), for a Nigerian citizen to join 5 individuals from historically underrepresented nations in space exploration to fly to space. This is all part of a broader initiative spearheaded by SERA, in partnership with Blue Origin to see 6 civilians in space at no cost to their nations.
This collaboration marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s space exploration journey and opens new opportunities for scientific research and technological advancement. A Nigerian NGO, Learnspace Foundation, played a pivotal role in the partnership. The Foundation’s President, Dr. Anne Agi, had the privilege of meeting with the founders of SERA at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2024 when they were undecided about which African country to partner with and successfully advocated for Nigeria’s selection as the African country for this historic mission. Over the course of 8 months, the Foundation then went on to initiate and facilitate meetings between SERA and the Agency, culminating in the signing of the MoU.
At the signing, Dr. Agi emphasized that “Space has the power to inspire future generations and Learnspace believes that this mission serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for Nigerian youths, showing that even in challenging times, with global collaboration, great achievements are possible. We are therefore glad to play a part in this ground breaking partnership.”
Mr. Sam Hutchison, Co-founder of SERA, revealed that the project is fully sponsored by SERA with no financial commitment from the federal government of Nigeria. He also noted that the selection process would be democratic as Nigerians themselves will vote to choose their representative for this historic mission.
Joshua Skurla, also co-Founder of SERA further commented, “Until now, space has been an exclusive domain, with over 80% of all astronauts to date coming from just three countries. Nigeria has a rich history of scientific and technological innovation, and we have the honor to partner with NASRDA to extend this legacy into space and create new opportunities for Nigerian space explorers.”
Likewise, Dr. Matthew Adepoju, Directorr General/Chief Executive of NASRDA, commented: “It is a step towards the realization of our objective of putting a Person in space as stated in our National Space Policy and Program, and we are excited to work with SERA and Blue Origin to provide this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ”
Supervising the signing, the nation’s Honourable Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Godfrey Nnaji, stated, “We are delighted to see this partnership come to fruition. Human space flight is not just a random aspiration of our country but a major objective of the Nigeria Space Policy and Program, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2001. Reviving and implementing all abandoned national plans is a cardinal point of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This partnership provides a way of achieving our long-time aspiration as a nation.”
This partnership which is at no cost to the Nigerian government democratises space travel as Nigerians themselves will get to choose who gets to go for this mission through a fair and transparent process.
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