Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced, on Sunday, that it will send the first Saudi female and male astronauts to the International Space Station during the second quarter of 2023.
According to a statement by the Saudi Space Authority, published by the Saudi Press Agency, “SPA”: “The Saudi astronaut and astronaut, Rayana Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni, will join the crew of the AX-2 space mission, with the aim of building national capabilities in the field of manned flights for the sake of humanity, and benefiting from the promising opportunities that arise.” provided by the space sector and its industries globally.
The agency added, “This mission will contribute to scientific research that is in the interest of serving humanity, in a number of priority areas such as health, sustainability and space technology.”
The statement indicated that “the scientific flight will start from the United States of America to the International Space Station, and that the program includes training a pioneer and two other astronauts on all mission requirements, namely: Maryam Firdous and Ali Al-Ghamdi.”
For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Space Commission, Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha, said in a statement, on Sunday, that “the Kingdom, in light of the unlimited support of the wise leadership, seeks through the astronaut program to activate scientific innovations at the level of space sciences.” You mentioned “was”.
Al-Sawahah pointed out that “the Kingdom relies on the astronaut program to strengthen its position in the global race towards space and its exploration, and to raise its position in the map of countries that race to space and invest in its specialized sciences.”
The CEO of the Saudi Space Commission, Dr. Muhammad bin Saud Al-Tamimi, said, “The support and empowerment that the commission found from the Saudi leadership is the main driver behind the Kingdom’s vast steps and qualitative leaps in the field of space, by overcoming all the difficulties and obstacles facing the sector.”
The Saudi Astronaut Program comes in cooperation with a group of entities, led by the Saudi Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Sports, the Civil Aviation Authority, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, in addition to the “Axiom Space” company specialized in manned space flights and the development of space infrastructure in the United States. American.
And the Saudi Space Authority published on its Twitter website, on Sunday, promotional tweets for the space mission and pictures of the Saudi astronauts participating in it.
According to “SPA”, “The Saudi Space Authority had earlier launched the Kingdom’s program for astronauts, and this trip comes within an integrated package with the aim of qualifying experienced Saudi cadres to go into space flights and participate in scientific experiments, international research and future missions related to space, and contribute to raising the Kingdom’s status.” Contribute to achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
