For the first time in the history of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia (KSA) , a Saudi woman will be sent as the country’s first-ever woman astronaut on a space mission later this year. The state media of KSA reported the news following the kingdom’s pledge to revamp the centuries-old ultra-conservative approach.
The official Saudi Press Agency stated, “Rayyana Barnawi will join fellow Saudi male astronaut Ali Al-Qarni on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) “during the second quarter of 2023.”
The astronauts “will join the crew of the AX-2 space mission” and the space flight will “launch from the USA”, the agency said.
KSA will be the second Muslim country following in the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which became the first Arab country to send one of its citizens into space in 2019. The Emirati astronaut, Hazzaa al-Mansoori, spent eight days on the ISS.
This set a good example for Muslim countries where women will ace in every walk of life next to men. Rich and abundant in resources, the Gulf countries are looking forwards to diversifying their energy-reliant economies through a number of projects.
The Saudi female astronaut, Rayyanah Barnawi, will become a beacon of hope and empowerment for Muslim ladies all around the world.
تعرّف على رائدة الفضاء: ريّانة برناوي
السعودية #نحو_الفضاءMeet the astronaut: Rayyanah Barnawi
Saudi Arabia Towards Space pic.twitter.com/o5qMWYJUwF— الهيئة السعودية للفضاء (@saudispace) February 12, 2023
Since Saudi de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s rise to power in 2017, women have been enjoying unprecedented freedom. Females have been allowed to drive, to travel abroad without a male guardian, and also witnessed the workforce proportion doubling since 2016, from 17 percent to 37 percent.
Barnawi isn’t the first Saudi astronaut. In 1985, Saudi royal Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz took part in a US-organised space mission, becoming the first Arab Muslim to travel into space.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/29-May-2022/pakistani-origin-woman-elected-first-muslim-deputy-mayor-of-british-town
