Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that it will be sending the first Saudi female astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi and a Saudi male astronaut Ali Al-Qarni to the International Space Station during the second quarter of 2023. This aims to empower national capabilities in human spaceflight geared towards serving humanity and benefiting from the promising opportunities offered by the space industry, as well as contributing to scientific research in many aspects such as health, sustainability, and space technology. The astronauts Barnawi and Al-Qarni will join the crew of the AX-2 space mission. The spaceflight is scheduled to launch from the USA to the International Space Station. In addition, the Saudi Human Spaceflight Program includes the training of two more astronauts Mariam Fardous and Ali Al-Ghamdi on all mission requirements. The Chairman of the Saudi Space Commission Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha clarified Sunday that the Kingdom's leadership is keen to give unlimited support to the space program. Through this program, the Kingdom seeks to activate scientific innovations at the level of space sciences, enhance its ability to independently conduct its own research that will reflect positively on the future of the industry and the country, increase the interest of graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and develop human capital by attracting talents and the necessary skills. Additionally, Mohammed Al-Tamimi, the CEO of the Saudi Space Commission, expressed his gratitude to the leadership for the support and empowerment to the commission, which has diminished the obstacles and challenges and enabled major leaps of the Kingdom into the space sector. Human spaceflight is a symbol of countries' superiority and global competitiveness in many fields such as technology, engineering, research, and innovation. This mission is also historic, as it will make the Kingdom one of the few countries in the world that brings two astronauts of the same nationality aboard the International Space Station simultaneously. The Saudi Space Commission also stated that this program comes in cooperation with a group of entities, led by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Sport, the General Authority of Civil Aviation and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, in addition to international partners such as Axiom Space, which specializes in human spaceflights and the development of space infrastructure in the USA. It is also to be noted that the Saudi Space Commission had previously launched the Saudi Human Spaceflight Program. This flight is an integral milestone of a comprehensive program aiming to train and qualify experienced Saudis to undertake human spaceflight, conduct scientific experiments, participate in international research, and future space-related missions contributing to the Kingdom's Vision 2030. — SG
