Saudi astronauts successfully launched toward International Space Station

Saudi Arabia on Monday announced the successful launch of the kingdom's astronauts toward the International Space Station.

Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem cell researcher, became the kingdom's first woman in space on Sunday when she boarded a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center. Ali al-Qarni, a Royal Saudi Air Force jet pilot, joined her.

The official Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel broadcast the launch event live on Twitter.

"Saudi Arabia launched a scientific voyage to space carrying the first Saudi astronauts, Rayana Bernawi, and Ali Al-Qarni, from the International Space Station (ISS) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United States on Sunday evening," the Saudi Press Agency reported.

It is the second private flight to the space station organized by Houston-based Axiom Space.

This mission is aimed at "conducting scientific and research experiments that can contribute to strengthening the Kingdom's position globally in the field of space exploration."

In Sept. 2022, the Saudi Space Commission launched the kingdom's program for astronauts, aiming at qualifying Saudi cadres for long- and short-term space flights, and participating in scientific experiments, international research, and future space-related missions.

The 10-day mission was set to launch from Kennedy Space Center on May 8, but NASA and Axiom Space pushed it out to May 21.

Gulf countries have recently shown a growing interest in space exploration.

In Dec. 2022, the Emirati space explorer Rashid Rover set off towards the Moon on a Japanese spacecraft on a 5-month journey.