Keisha Schahaff, from the Caribbean island of Antigua, and her 18-year-old daughter, Anastatia, are preparing to make history when they board Virgin Galactic’s second commercial space mission in August 2023.
The two won their seats on the voyage in a lottery that raised $1.7 million for the non-profit group Space for Humanity, which is dedicated to increasing access to space.
For Keisha, who is a wellness coach, it will be the fulfillment of her childhood dream to reach the skies.
“When I was two years old, just looking up to the skies, I thought, ‘How can I get there?’ But, being from the Caribbean, I didn’t see how something like this would be possible,” she said, according to People. “The fact that I am here, the first to travel to space from Antigua, shows that space really is becoming more accessible.”
Anastatia, Keisha’s daughter, is a second-year college student studying philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. She will be the second-youngest person to travel to space, at the age of 18.
Virgin Galactic has already sold about 800 tickets for these flights, which cost between $250,000 and $450,000. This historic adventure promises to be life-changing for both of them, as they will become the first mother-daughter duo and the first Caribbeans to fly to space together.
