Saudi Arabian first female astronaut makes history by blasting off to space station

RIYADH – History in the making as Saudi Arabia sends its first female astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi to the International Space Station, in the latest move aimed to revamp Kingdom’s conservative image.

In a statement, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said two Saudi astronauts are travelling to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time on a private mission to carry out several experiments.

Kingdom’s first female astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi, fighter pilot Ali al-Qarni and business pioneer John Shoffner were on board the Axiom Space 2 mission. Sharing her experience, Barnawi called it a matter of great pleasure, saying she’s honoured to be part of the mission.

The Saudi Press Agency said the team members will carry out over dozen experiments dealing with human research, cell sciences, and cloud seeding experiments in the microgravity environment.

#VIDEO: "Hello from Space," #SaudiArabia’s first female astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi (@Astro_Rayyanah) greets from the orbit as Falcon 9 rocket settled in on the way to the International Space Station. #KSA2Space pic.twitter.com/2WJII436WN

— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) May 22, 2023

The involvement of the Arab nation in the mission aimed at expanding space science education in the country, and is a part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

Around five years back, Riyadh formed Saudi Space Commission and launched a programme in 2022 to send astronauts into space.