Saudi Arabia’s first female astronauts, Rayyanah Barnawi, and Ali Al Qarni are now set to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 22. The trip was originally schedule for May 9 but delayed by two weeks due to a previously postponed launch.
The two astronauts are part of the Axiom Space 2 mission, which will also include former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and American pilot John Shoffner.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch from Florida at 1.37 am GST (May 21, 5.37 pm ET) to take them to the ISS.
Launch Update: @NASA, @Axiom_Space, & @SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 5:37 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 21, for launch of Axiom Mission 2 to the @Space_Station. (1/2)— NASA Space Operations (@NASASpaceOps) May 5, 2023
Saudi Arabia’s new astronaut program will send its first astronauts on a 10-day trip to the orbiting laboratory, joining UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who is on board for a six-month mission. This marks the kingdom’s second space mission, almost 40 years after its first citizen, Prince Sultan bin Salman, went into orbit on Nasa’s Space Shuttle for a week-long stay.
Rayyanah Barnawi set to make history as the first Arab woman on the International Space Station (ISS). Sara Sabry, an Egyptian engineer, became the first Arab woman in space during a Blue Origin space tourism flight in August 2022.
The Saudi Space Commission, the kingdom’s space agency, aims to establish a sustainable space program, and this mission marks a significant step towards that goal. Ms. Barnawi and Mr. Al Qarni’s journey could be the start of Saudi Arabia’s recruitment of a long list of astronauts for future space missions.
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