Jameel Janjua OMM

Astronaut / Experimental Test Pilot
Virgin Galactic

Jameel has had a blast living life in the fast lane for most of his career. As a fighter pilot and experimental test pilot on high-performance fighter aircraft in Canada, the UK, and the US, he’s penned some pretty unique journal entries, including most recently when he became the tenth Canadian professional astronaut and the first one to pilot a winged rocket ship. As a
commercial spaceline pilot in Virgin Galactic’s spaceship Unity, Jameel flew as part of a crew that reached an altitude of 287,011 feet (54.4 miles) and a maximum speed of Mach 2.96. Looking back on this planet was profound and Jameel loves to share his experience with others.

At 16 years old, he had already begun his flying career in a glider in a Southern Alberta field. It took hard work, dedicaWon to excellence and a lot of Wme in the air, but some 30 years later, he has now exceeded 5,300 hours of flying experience in more than 65 different aircraZ and a spaceship.

In addition to his career as a test pilot, Jameel has been the grateful recipient of numerous honors including the Liethen-Tittle Award as the top graduate at the USAF Test Pilot School. In 2019, he was invested as an Officer in the Order of Military Merit, the second highest order administered by the Governor General-in-Council in Canada, in recognition of a career of
outstanding meritorious service in duties of responsibility. Jameel holds an engineering degree from the Royal Military College of Canada and a Master’s in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is currently pursuing an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and serves as an officer on the Board of Directors of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.