RIYADH: A space mission carrying two astronauts from Saudi Arabia, including the first Saudi and Arab woman in space, will launch from Florida on May 8.
The astronauts will be traveling on a private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the Saudi Space Commission, NASA, SpaceX and Axiom Space said during a virtual press conference.
Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer researcher, will become the first Saudi woman to voyage into space and will be joined on the mission by fellow Saudi Ali Al-Qarni, a fighter pilot.
Liftoff of the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 10:43 p.m. ET on May 8 (05:43 a.m. KSA) from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Axiom Space and NASA officials said in a briefing to preview the flight.
The four-member crew will travel to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule and spend 10 days aboard the orbiting space station.
In 1985, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, an air force pilot, took part in a US-organized space voyage, becoming the first Saudi in space.
The UAE has also taken part in space missions and an Emirati astronaut, Sultan Al-Neyadi, arrived on the ISS a month ago for a six-month stay.
* With AFP
