Saudi Arabia To Send its First Astronauts to Space in 2023
Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that it will be sending the first Saudi female astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi and a Saudi male astronaut Ali Al-Qarni to the International Space Station during the second quarter of 2023.
This aims to empower national capabilities in human spaceflight geared towards serving humanity and benefiting from the promising opportunities offered by the space industry, as well as contributing to scientific research in many aspects such as health, sustainability, and space technology.
The astronauts Barnawi and Al-Qarni will join the crew of the AX-2 space mission.
The spaceflight is scheduled to launch from the USA to the International Space Station. In addition, the Saudi Human Spaceflight Program includes the training of two more astronauts Mariam Fardous and Ali Al-Ghamdi on all mission requirements.
This mission is also historic, as it will make the Kingdom one of the few countries in the world that brings two astronauts of the same nationality aboard the International Space Station simultaneously.
