Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has announced that it will send Saudi Arabia’s first female astronaut Rayana Barnawi and Saudi male astronaut Ali Al Qarni to the International Space Station in the second quarter of this year. Rayyana Barnawi is the first female astronaut from Saudi Arabia. Ali Al Qarni will accompany Rayyana to the International Space Station.
It aims to empower national capabilities in human spaceflight to serve humanity, benefit from the promising opportunities offered by the space industry and contribute to scientific research in several areas such as health, sustainability and space technology. Astronauts Barnawi and Al Qarni will join the crew of the AX-2 space mission.
It has also been decided to send two astronauts, including a woman, for further training as part of the Saudi Human Space Flight Program. Maryam Fardoos and Ali Al Ghamdi will be sent for expert training. The Chairman of the Saudi Space Commission, Abdullah Al Swaha, stated that the country’s leadership wants to provide unlimited support to the space program.
Also, Saudi Space Commission CEO Mohammed Al Tamimi expressed his gratitude to the leadership for the support and empowerment of the commission. He said this has reduced the hurdles and challenges and enabled the country’s big leap into the space sector.
Human spaceflight is a symbol of excellence and global competitiveness of countries in many fields such as technology, engineering, research and innovation. The mission is historic as it will make the country one of the few countries in the world to simultaneously land two astronauts from the same country on the International Space Station, he added.
In addition to international partners, the Saudi Space Commission stated that this project comes with the cooperation of a group of organizations led by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Sports, the General Authority of Civil Aviation, and the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center.
It is also noteworthy that the Saudi Space Commission had previously initiated the Saudi Human Space Flight Program.