Namira Salim bought a ticket on Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic in 2006. SUPPLIED

A Dubai resident who bought a $200,000 ticket to fly to space on the Virgin Galactic is expected to become the first female space tourist from the UAE. Namira Salim, a 52-year-old Pakistani resident in Dubai, is scheduled to board a commercial space flight on billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. Salim bought a seat to the commercial space flight in 2006, earning her the title of Founder Astronaut. She will finally get on the flight this year, after a 17-year wait. Virgin Galactic launched its first commercial space flight on Thursday with three Italian passengers on board. Virgin Galactic expects its next flight in August. The space flights last for up to 90 minutes and passengers can experience four minutes of weightlessness before the plane returns to Earth. Seats on the Virgin Galactic now reportedly cost $450,000. Salim told The National that she is excited about the space flight as it has always been her childhood dream. The Dubai resident and adventurer has trained as a pilot, skydived near Mount Everest and traveled to the North Pole and South Pole. She has completed her suborbital spaceflight training, and wants to dedicate her space flight to her parents, who passed away before they could see her travel to space. ICA/Expat Media
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