She may not be a citizen yet but she proudly took S'pore flag to outer space

On Aug 29, as the nation still basked in the glow of its 59th birthday, the Singapore flag entered outer space.

The flag was proudly carried by entrepreneur Nicolina Elrick, who has been calling Singapore home since 1995.

“Singapore is an amazing country and I’m so proud to be here,” the permanent resident told TNP.

“Everyone assumes I’m a tourist all the time, but this is my home.”

Ms Elrick, who is in her 50s, was born in Scotland. She hopes to become a Singapore citizen one day.

In her drive to become the first person to take the Singapore flag to space, she overlooked the chance to achieve the same feat for her birth country.

"When I was interviewed at the launchpad, someone said, ‘Wow, you must be so excited. The first Scottish woman ever to go to space,'" recounted Ms Elrick.

"I was like, ‘Really? I am? Oh my goodness, I had no idea."

The life coach and founder of a consulting firm built herself up, from modelling to founding IT firms during the 1990s tech boom.

“I came from a poor and dysfunctional family," she revealed.

"I’m a single mother and I beat cancer. It's not a backstory one would expect of someone who goes into space.

"‘She’s so lucky, she has money, she has everything,’ people would say but I never had any of that. Everything in my life, I had to work hard for.”

In 2009, Ms Elrick was diagnosed with cancer for the third time. It got her depressed and her doctor recommended that she try something that could bring a positive spark to her life.

So Ms Elrick decided to do something she had never done before: fly a helicopter.

“My mindset changed after that. I was so full of joy and it made me feel healthier. I felt more driven and purposeful.”

The new skill also got her linked up with the European Space Agency, opening doors for her journey into space.

Through her connections, Ms Elrick got herself on space training programmes and built relationships with professionals from several space agencies.

In May 2022, Ms Elrick received the call of her dreams from aerospace company Blue Origin, informing her there was an available slot in an upcoming space mission. 

After a two-year wait, the NS-26 mission finally launched on Aug 29, from West Texas in the US. With a six-person crew aboard, the spacecraft crossed the Kármán Line, reaching 100 kilometres above Earth.

Ms Elrick recounted the 10-minute long expedition that made her only the 95th woman in history to journey into space. 

“We flew through clouds and then there was bright sunlight. And just like a light switch, everything suddenly went black and we were in pitch blackness," she said, her voice filled with awe.

“I just felt shocked, breathless. There's something magnetic about it. I was standing there, staring out the window, just gobsmacked. It's just absolutely incredible to see.”

Ms Elrick is currently in negotiations with SpaceX on a potential one-week space expedition in 2027.

“Dreams do come true, they really do. Just keep believing in yourself. No matter what people tell you, if you believe that you want to do something, you can do it."

Ms Elrick is set to release her book Grit, Diamonds, Stars next year.

“We all have a purpose driven life and I'm hoping my purpose is to inspire and motivate younger generations. I want to make them feel motivated and follow their true passion.”