Saudi Arabia

Arab World’s First Space Flight by Woman Astronaut Delayed

The Arab world’s first space mission by a female astronaut has been put on hold, less than a week before the historic event was scheduled.

Rayyanah Barnawi and fellow Saudi astronaut Ali Al Qarni were due to blast off to the International Space Centre from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on May 9, at 6.43am UAE time.

The ISS on Wednesday issued a statement confirming it was “no longer targeting opportunities in early May” for the milestone journey.

It said Nasa, SpaceX and Axiom Space, the company in Houston that has helped arrange the trip for Saudi Arabia, were working to pinpoint a new date.

“Nasa, Axiom Space and SpaceX are working together to identify the best available opportunity to launch the Axiom Mission 2 to the International Space Station,” the ISS said in a message released on Twitter. “We are no longer targeting opportunities in early May. More information on the updated target launch date will be shared soon.”

No reason has been given for the postponement.

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The National

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