Nigeria has been offered a historic chance to send its first community-selected civilian astronaut into space through a global initiative by the Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA).
In a statement by SERA’s Nigeria Communications Lead, Edward Israel-Ayide, the agency announced that it has expanded its democratic astronaut selection process to five partner nations—Nigeria, India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Thailand—using a blockchain-powered platform.
Unlike traditional astronaut programmes that demand military or academic expertise, SERA’s Mission Control, hosted on Telegram, enables any citizen to apply and compete for votes from their community. Applicants earn “SpaceDust” points by completing challenges, with transparent voting safeguarded by blockchain technology.
“This is an opportunity for someone from any background to represent Nigeria in space, chosen by the people,” said Joshua Skurla, SERA Co-Founder.
The initiative builds on SERA’s 2022 milestone, which saw Victor Hespanha become South America’s first civilian astronaut aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard. Six seats are available for the next Blue Origin mission: five reserved for partner countries and one for a global applicant.
Dr. Matthew Adepoju, Director-General of Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), described the initiative as a natural extension of Nigeria’s growing space ambitions.
“SERA offers Nigeria’s first pathway to community-selected human spaceflight, expanding our presence beyond satellites and into manned missions,” he said.
Dr. Anne Agi, President of Learnspace Foundation, who facilitated the NASRDA-SERA partnership, added that the project was about inclusivity.
“We are building bridges between communities, institutions, and industry to ensure Nigeria’s journey to human spaceflight is not only historic but participatory,” she said.
SERA’s Co-Founder, Sam Hutchison, stressed the human angle: “A teacher in Abuja or a content creator in Lagos can now aspire to fly into space, not because of elite credentials but because of their community’s support.”
The programme also incorporates a science component, allowing communities to design and vote on experiments for the mission.
CEO Max Crown said the platform reimagines space exploration for social media users.
“By launching on TON within Telegram, we’ve turned space travel into a community-driven, interactive experience,” he noted.
Applications are now open via SERA’s Mission Control on Telegram, with timelines for voting and selection to follow. Chosen astronauts will undergo standard Blue Origin safety training before liftoff.
