Filenews 19 December 2025
Although Cyprus has been trying to develop activity in the field of space in recent years, to date, however, there has not been a single compatriot of ours who has made a trip to space. This is now a thing of the past.
Businessman Adonis Pouroulis becomes the first Cypriot and the first native of Paphos to go beyond the limits of the earth's atmosphere, participating in a space mission. Mr. Pouroulis was among the crew of the suborbital flight of the Blue Origin space capsule's New Shepard space capsule, which was launched into space today.
Adonis Pouroulis is the son of the late Loukas Pouroulis, a businessman originally from Lysos, Paphos, who left a strong imprint on the international mining industry and is one of the important modern benefactors of Paphos. He belongs to the second generation of Cypriot immigrants to South Africa, where the family settled in 1964 and where his father founded the Salene Mining Proprietary Limited group, with extensive activities in gold, diamonds, titanium and emeralds.
Today, the 57-year-old businessman, who resides permanently in London, has carved his own successful path in the field of natural resources and energy, continuing and evolving the family business tradition. His investment portfolio includes companies such as Petra Diamonds, Chromex Mining and Mukuba Resources, while at the same time he is active in new projects in collaboration with companies such as Benzu Resources, Alufer Mining, Centrale Oil & Gas, Helios Oil & Gas and Rainbow Rare Earths.
His journey into space, as he has mentioned, is the realization of a personal vision of life, while at the same time it is a historic first for Cyprus, adding a symbolic but essential presence of the country on the world space map.
