Rayyanah Barnawi. Source/@saudispace
Doha: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced it would be sending its first female astronaut to the International Space Station during the second quarter of 2023, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Rayannah Barnawi, along with Ali Alqarni, will both join the AX-2 space mission crew with the aim of building national capabilities in the field of manned flights to contribute to scientific research that would “serve humanity in a number of priority areas such as health, sustainability, and space technology.”
The scientific space expedition will takeoff from the United States of America towards the International Space Station, noting that the program will also include a female and male pilot trainees – Mariam Fardous and Ali Alghamdi – who will be trained on all mission requirements.
The Saudi Space Comission stated that it seeks scientific innovations at the level of space sciences with its astronaut program, and to enhance its ability to independently conduct its own research.
The astronaut program is a cooperation between a group of entities, namely the Saudi ministries of Defense and Sports, the Civil Aviation Authority, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, in addition to US space infrastructure developer Axiom Space.
