Mr Ibrahim Sharaf President of the Sharaf Group joins an actress, entrepreneur, movie-director and Royal, among others, to leave earth as Virgin Galastic unveiled making him the first Emirati to…
Mr Ibrahim Sharaf President of the Sharaf Group joins an actress, entrepreneur, movie-director and Royal, among others, to leave earth as Virgin Galastic unveiled making him the first Emirati to sign-up to go to space.
An intrepid traveller, Sharaf has parted with US$200,000 to achieve a long held dream of going to space and to become a Virgin Galactic ‘Founder’. He now joins an elite group of new-age travellers and becomes a member of the most exclusive club in the world.
Sharaf will take his place in history as one of Virgin Galactic’s first 100 commercial astronauts.
Among many others who share Ibrahim Sharaf’s passion for adventure travel and experiencing space for themselves are Victoria Principle, actress and business woman, Bryan Singer, Director of Superman Returns, at least one senior member of a Royal family not to mention Sir Richard Branson and his children Sam and Holly.
Mr Ibrahim Sharaf is known for his ominous adventures including visiting the North Pole on two separate occasions and his 24 day journey across Siberia. His most recent adventure was a journey to the “Pole of Cold” located in the northern hemisphere in the Republic of Yakutia. The Pole is one of the coldest places on planet earth with temperatures reaching a staggering 70°C below zero. He started his journey in Moscow and travelled via air to Vladiovostok. From there he travelled via sea for six days to Magadan. Transportation via special automobiles followed, as he journeyed across 1,500 kms of challenging terrain to Oimyakon and finally to Yakutia taking a total of two weeks to reach his destination.
Talking about his Virgin Galactic space flight, Mr Sharaf said “During my life travel has played an important role in shaping who I am today. I have been very lucky to have had the means to see and experience the different countries and cultures of the world, and more so to share stories of those experiences with my family and friends. I am very excited about going to space with Virgin Galactic, it’s a once in a lifetime experience for me. Today, sub-orbital journeys represent the ultimate travel, if not, life experience.”
“I am confident with the leadership and vision of Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin Group’s commitment to technology, innovation, safety and customer experience, that sub-orbital flights are just a stepping stone for what will come in the future. I’m so privileged to join with many others to be a part of creating space travel history.”
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