icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
8 Jul, 2019 12:30

Would-be first black African in space dies in motorcycle crash

Would-be first black African in space dies in motorcycle crash

South African Mandla Maseko, known as ‘The Afronaut,’ who won the chance in 2015 to be the first black African to go space, has died before he could fulfil his lifelong ambition, in a motorcycle accident on Saturday.

Mandla, 30, from a township outside Pretoria, beat a million other entrants from 75 countries to win a trip to space, as one of a group of 23 who will take part in an hour-long, 103-kilometer (64-mile) suborbital flight aboard the Lynx Mark II craft to the edge of space. 

The young part-time DJ and candidate officer with the South African air force, who was also affectionately known as “spaceboy,” would have been the first black African person in space. His family announced the tragic news via a statement on social media.

He underwent a week of skydiving, air combat and G-force training at the Kennedy Space Academy in Florida in preparation for the flight, where he also met Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon.

Also on rt.com Oldest-ever meteorite found in Africa… and could unlock the solar system’s secrets, scientists say

He had originally been scheduled to fly in 2015 but an official announcement was never made about when the journey to space would take place. His untimely death means that the historic first will instead be achieved by another ‘Afronaut’.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

Podcasts
0:00
23:13
0:00
25:0