Saudi Arabia’s next chapter: the space mission 
Saudi Arabia has made its plan to progress in achieving our goals. We dream, plan, invest and achieve, and this is all thanks to the leaders of our country, who have encouraged the efforts we see paying off today.
In the past few years, Saudi Arabia has achieved many of Vision 2030’s targets. This year, we have reached yet another of the country’s biggest ambitions: exploring space. This was one of the most anticipated targets for many years, and now we have seen the light of such achievements with the establishment of the Saudi Space Commission in 2018. The Kingdom has looked forward to seeing progress in developing space technologies to explore beyond our planet. This mission included adopting a suitable strategy while developing and promoting the idea further.
The successful launch also proved to be a part of Vision 2030, showing our determination to reach our targets. Our journey in space started long ago when the first Saudi astronaut left the Earth’s surface on an orbital mission. This was nearly 40 years ago, when Prince Sultan bin Salman became the first Muslim to journey into space, making headlines worldwide for this national achievement. It is even more inspiring when we realize that it was also a sign for the new generation to look at how the once impossible had become possible.
As part of the younger generation, I believe that this new chapter could reveal more of youths’ potential and encourage them to go even beyond their own expectations. The support shown to pull this off successfully could be one of the most vital contributors to reaching this milestone.
Two years ago, another step was taken as we planned to invest about $2 billion in the space program by 2030, in alignment with the vision’s strategy. In the meantime, we have also hinted at a launch of own space journeys in the future.
This year, the first Saudi mission was accomplished. While in space, the team conducted experiments on human adaptation to new environments. This included more experiments on cloud seeding, something the Kingdom has been working on for a long time as part of the Saudi Green Initiative to turn the desert green. This also supports the Sustainable Development Goals as learning more about space can, in advance, help us to better understand the planet’s climate. This is among many other contributions that will give us more knowledge of the world around us than we could have imagined.
While Vision 2030 is a plan to increase the quality of citizens’ lives, learning more about space also allows us to understand more about our species, enabling us to further enhance our ability to create a better future for all. This is the kind of future Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strives to create. Today we have seen many of the Kingdom’s achievements speak for themselves, as we have shown that only the sky is the limit.
As part of the younger generation, I believe that this new chapter could reveal more of youths’ potential and encourage them to go even beyond their own expectations. The support shown to pull this off successfully could be one of the most vital contributors to reaching this milestone.
On reaching space, we have proven our fearlessness and capability to reach new heights, allowing us to leverage the benefits of these experiences we gain from moving out of our comfort zone.
• Ritaj Hussain Al-Hazmi is a young columnist and author, and Guinness world record holder. She believes in showcasing the new generation’s potential.
