Namira Salim

Namira Salim
نمیرا سلیم
Namira Salim presents President Arif Alvi, President of Pakistan the National Flag she flew to space
Born
Namira Salim

Karachi, Pakistan
Alma materColumbia University[1]
Hofstra University[2]
Occupation(s)Founder and Executive Chairperson of Space Trust, artist
Known forFirst Pakistani Astronaut, Virgin Galactic Founder Astronaut, First Pakistani at the North and South Poles, first Asian to skydive (tandem) Mount Everest, during First Everest Skydive 2008.
AwardsTamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence), 2011
Power 100 Trailblazer Award, 2013
Femina Middle East Women Award, 2016
StatusActive
Space career
Virgin Galactic commercial astronaut
Time in space
~15 min
MissionsGalactic 04
Websitenamirasalim.com

Namira Salim (Urdu: نمیرا سلیم) is a Pakistani polar adventurer, astronaut and artist based in Monaco and Dubai.[3][4][5][6] On the recommendation of the Pakistani government, she was in 2011 appointed as an honorary consul of Pakistan to Monaco, following her efforts to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries.[3] She is the first Pakistani to have reached both the North Pole and the South Pole. Salim is the only Pakistani among the first 100 aspiring space tourists to purchase a ticket for Virgin Galactic's future commercial space liner.[7] She became the first Pakistani astronaut, the first astronaut from Monaco, and the first female astronaut from the UAE to travel to space, traveling aboard Virgin Galactic on 6 October 2023.[8][9][10]

On 23 March 2011, Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan conferred on Salim the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) for achievement in sport, including her trips to the poles and the Everest skydiving event.[11] She was awarded the Power 100 Trailblazer Award by Pakistan Power 100 in London in September 2013 for her efforts to promote international peace and harmony, and was placed on their "Women Power 100" list.[12]

  1. ^ "Airfare for the Common Man".
  2. ^ http://www.Hofstra.edu/alumni/atom/aotm_mar08.html [dead link‍]
  3. ^ a b "The woman of many wonders". www.pakistantoday.com.pk. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  4. ^ Nag, Esha (23 March 2008). "Gulfnews: Pioneering women of pakistan". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Pakistan's first astronaut Namira Salim congratulates ISRO on Chandrayaan-2- The New Indian Express". 9 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Namira Salim: Pakistan astronaut congratulates Isro on Chandrayaan-2 | World News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  7. ^ Zara Khan,"Namira Salim to Become the First Pakistani to Visit Space", pk.mashable.com,.
  8. ^ "Namira Salim becomes first Pakistani to travel to space aboard Virgin Galactic". 7 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Dubai-based Pakistani astronaut gears up for historic space journey".
  10. ^ "Namira Salim's Inspiring Journey into Space". 30 November 2023.
  11. ^ Ashfaq Ahmed "Pakistani woman adventurer wins top civil award", gulfnews.com, 2 April 2011.
  12. ^ "Namira Salim awarded Power 100 Trailblazer Award". Daily Times (Pakistan). Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.