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WATCH LIVE: Saudi astronauts arrive at International Space Station

Saudi Arabia’s Rayana Bernawi and Ali Al-Qarni take off for International Space Station

Saudi Astronauts space Arab woman
Saudi Arabia’s Rayana Bernawi and Ali Al-Qarni take off for International Space Station

Saudi Arabia launched a scientific voyage to space carrying the Kingdom’s first astronauts, Rayana Bernawi and Ali Al-Qarni.

The pair are part of the AX2 space mission, launched on Sunday May 21.

The mission includes four astronauts, all travelling towards the International Space Station (ISS), to conduct scientific research experiments that serve humanity.

Saudi astronauts at International Space Station

The SpaceX launch vehicle, which consists of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon 2 spacecraft,  took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The Dragon 2 spacecraft will be guided towards the ISS by Mission Control crew in Hawthorne, California until docking is complete within 24 hours of take-off.

Watch AX-2 mission docking live:

The vehicle is designed to dock autonomously and automatically on the ISS, with the possibility of the crew performing this task if required.

Once the Dragon 2 spacecraft docks with the ISS, Saudi astronaut, Rayyanah Barnawi, will become the first ever Arab woman to fly into space – a historic moment.

The Saudi Space Commission confirmed that the astronauts, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni, are fully trained and prepared to carry out their mission in space, where they will conduct 14 pioneering research experiments in microgravity that are set to have important scientific impact.

The studies that will take place in space range from human research and cell science to artificial rain in microgravity.

The astronauts will also conduct three educational awareness experiments with 12,000 Saudi students on the ground during the course of the space flight, hopefully inspiring a future generation of scientists and aspiring astronauts, and encouraging more young women and girls to follow STEM careers.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research will supervise the cell sciences experiment, how the inflammatory response changes in space.

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals will supervise the cloud seeding experiment in microgravity, which aims to simulate the process used in the Kingdom and many countries to increase precipitation rates.

The cloud seeding experiment will help scientists and researchers devise new methods to provide suitable conditions for humans, including the work of artificial rain, to live in space colonies on the surface of the Moon and Mars.

saudi astronauts

The experiment will also contribute to improving researchers’ understanding of cloud seeding technology, which will contribute to increasing rainfall rates in many countries.

Saudi’s Nebula Research and Development will conduct six experiments in the field of human research to learn about human adaptation to spaceflight and its safety on the brain and to understand the effects that occur on human health while in space.

The mission is part of the Kingdom’s astronauts’ program, which is one of the programs that aims, in its first phase, to send two Saudi astronauts, a male and female, on a manned spaceflight to the ISS, at an altitude of approximately (420 km) above the Earth’s surface.

The program is expected to contribute to consolidating the Kingdom’s position and place it among the leading countries; inspiring future generations regarding space technologies and their importance; promoting scientific research in various fields of space, and strengthening national partnerships and cooperation with relevant authorities.

The program also bears special significance in achieving the Kingdom’s aspirations and the goals of its Vision 2030 in the field of space, in addition to the effective contributions of the program in raising the Kingdom’s position in the space sector and placing it among the leading countries in the field of space by 2030 AD.

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