Welcome Aboard! Saudi Arabia's First Female Astronaut Joins International Space Station
Key Highlights :
The International Space Station (ISS) welcomed two special visitors on Monday – Saudi Arabia's first female astronaut and a fighter pilot – as they embarked on a 10-day journey to the orbiting laboratory. Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem cell researcher, and Ali al-Qarni, a fighter pilot, were joined by John Shoffner, a Knoxville, Tennessee businessman, and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who now works for Axiom Space as their chaperone.
The SpaceX-chartered flight took off from Florida less than 16 hours before docking at the ISS – a 270-mile-high (430-kilometre-high) journey that added four new members to the station's population. Representing the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, the new residents will stay for just over a week before returning to Earth in their capsule.
The mission marks a historic milestone for Saudi Arabia, as Barnawi is the first female astronaut to represent the kingdom in space. It is also a testament to the country's increasing focus on encouraging women to take on leadership roles in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Axiom Space, the Houston-based company that organized the mission, declined to reveal the cost of the tickets, but cited US$55 million each for last year's private trip by three businessmen. The only other Saudi to have flown in space is Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who rode on NASA's shuttle Discovery in 1985.
The mission is a shining example of how space exploration can bring together people from all walks of life, regardless of their nationality or gender. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of international cooperation and collaboration in order to advance humanity's knowledge and understanding of the universe.
