Saudi Arabia’s First Female Astronaut Will Travel to ISS on May 22
Two Saudi astronauts are now expected to travel to the International Space Station on May 22, after the trip was postponed by two weeks.
Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Saudi woman astronaut, and Ali Al Qarni were scheduled to launch on May 9, but the flight to the ISS was disrupted after another launch was delayed last month.
They are part of the Axiom Space 2 mission, which also includes former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and American pilot John Shoffner.
NASA announced the target date on Saturday, and that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket would lift off from Florida at 1.37am GST (May 21, 5.37pm ET).
This will be about a 10-day trip to the orbiting laboratory and will be the first mission for Saudi Arabia’s new astronaut programme.
They will join UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who is on board the station for a six-month mission.
