The Space Exploration & Research Agency (SERA) has unveiled a new democratic astronaut selection process that will allow Nigerians to choose the country’s next space representative.
Unveiled yesterday, the initiative promotes community-selected space participation for Nigeria, India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Thailand.
Citizens of the participating nations will vote for their astronauts through a blockchain-powered platform.
Unlike traditional astronaut programmes that demand military experience or advanced academic qualifications, SERA’s Mission Control platform on Telegram allows anyone from the partner countries to apply and gain community support for selection.
SERA co-founder, Joshua Skurla, explained that the programme builds on the success of its inaugural space flight in 2022.
“We’re scaling democratic space access to five nations simultaneously, plus a global seat. For Nigeria, this means someone from any background can represent their nation in space based on community choice,” he said.
Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has welcomed the development.
Dr. Felix Ale, Director of Media and Corporate Communications at NASRDA, recalled that while Nigeria had pursued space exploration through the agency and recorded Chief Owolabi Salis’s self-funded Blue Origin flight, SERA’s initiative marks the country’s first community-selected civilian astronaut pathway.
NASRDA’s Director General, Dr. Matthew Olumide Adepoju, added: “This partnership aligns with our vision of expanding Nigeria’s space presence beyond satellites to human spaceflight. SERA’s democratic approach ensures Nigerian representation reflects the aspirations of our diverse population.”
The upcoming Blue Origin mission will have six seats: five reserved for the partner nations and one open to candidates from any country