Meet Mark Shuttleworth: The South African Tech Genius Who Went to Space

Have you ever dreamed of flying into space? Well, Mark Shuttleworth, a South African tech whiz, actually made that dream come true—and it all started with his love for technology. Here’s how he went from building a tech company in his garage to becoming the first African to blast off into space!

A Young Tech Star
Mark Shuttleworth was born in 1973 in Welkom, South Africa, but grew up in Cape Town. He got hooked on computer games as a kid and fell in love with technology. After high school, he wasn’t sure what path to take—should he do particle physics? Software engineering? Biotech? In the end, he chose business science, majoring in finance at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

While at UCT, he discovered something new and exciting: the Internet. It was just starting out, and by 1995, Mark had set up his own company, Thawte Consulting, while still in college. Thawte originally focused on helping businesses navigate the Internet, but soon, Mark had a bigger idea: securing online communications.

A Company Built in a Garage
Remember how Steve Jobs and other tech giants started in their garages? So did Mark! Thawte operated from his parents’ garage, and before long, it became a game-changer in online security. By creating security certificates for encrypted communications, Mark’s company helped make e-commerce safer around the world. And since the US had strict rules on strong encryption, Mark saw a golden opportunity to make his mark internationally.

By 1999, Thawte had grown so fast that Verisign, a major US tech company, bought it for a whopping $575 million (about R3.5 billion at the time).

From Earth to Space!
With his newfound wealth, Mark didn’t just relax on a beach—he set his sights on space! In 2002, he became the first African in space after spending $20 million on one of the first-ever space tourism tickets. But it wasn’t just a joyride—Mark trained as a Russian cosmonaut for an entire year, learning Russian and even doing scientific experiments while aboard the International Space Station (ISS). His mission included studying how zero gravity affects stem cells, muscles, and the heart, and he even did groundbreaking work related to HIV research.

Building Ubuntu for Everyone
Mark wasn’t done changing the world. In 2004, two years after his space adventure, he launched Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, one of the world’s most popular Linux operating systems. Mark wanted to give back to the open-source community that helped him build Thawte, and Ubuntu is now used by millions globally, with its quirky animal-named versions like Warty Warthog and the latest, Noble Numbat.

A Hero of Tech and Space
Mark Shuttleworth’s story is one of following your passion, whether it’s tech, space, or helping others. His foundation, the Shuttleworth Foundation, continues to support African innovation, especially in education. From creating a tech empire in a garage to floating in space, Mark’s journey shows that the sky’s not even the limit!