Saudi Creates History As First Arab Woman Astronaut Is Sent Into Space

A breast cancer researcher from Saudi Arabia has become the first-ever Arab woman to voyage to space on a private rocket that took off from Kennedy Space Center in the US on Sunday night.

Rayyanah Barnawi is the first-ever Saudi woman to voyage into space along with another Saudi national and fighter pilot Ali AlQarni.

The 33-year-old woman is a young laboratory specialist with vast experience in cancer stem cell research. She is currently working as a research and laboratory specialist.

As far as her educational qualification is concerned, she holds a bachelor's degree in reproductive science, genetic engineering, and tissue development from the University of Otago in New Zealand. Also, she earned a master's degree in biomedical sciences from King Faisal University.

Barnawi has nine years of brilliant experience in the field of cancer stem cell research, according to Saudi Gazette. Whereas Alqarni is a captain and fighter pilot with 12 years of experience in the Royal Saudi Air Force.

They became the first Saudi astronauts to go on a multimillion-dollar journey to the International Space Station in decades.

SpaceX Falcon 9 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in the southern United States at 5:37pm local time (21:37 GMT).

Leading the crew of four is Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and the Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space. Assisting her is John Shoffner, a mission pilot and a participant from the private spaceflight sector.

"Hello from outer space! It feels amazing to be viewing Earth from this capsule," Al Jazeera quoted Barnawi as saying after settling into orbit.

However, it is not clear how much Shoffner and Saudi Arabia are paying for the planned 10-day mission, but Axiom had previously stated a ticket price of $55 million each.

"This is a dream come true for everyone," Barnawi stated before the flight. "Just being able to understand that this is possible. If me and Ali can do it, then they can do it, too."

"Once docked, the astronauts plan to spend eight days aboard the orbiting laboratory, carrying out a full mission comprised of science, outreach and commercial activities. During their mission, Barnawi and Al Qarni will conduct 20 experiments, including research into predicting and preventing cancer and a study into how to generate artificial rain in future human settlements on the Moon and Mars," as per the report in the Saudi Gazette.

The objective of the space mission is to strengthen the expertise of Saudi scientists in the field of human spaceflight, with a focus on utilizing space industry advancements for the betterment of humanity. Additionally, it aims to contribute to various areas of scientific research, including health, sustainability, and space technology.

By implementing this program, the Kingdom aims to stimulate scientific breakthroughs in the realm of space sciences and bolster its capacity to independently pursue research endeavours. The positive impact of these endeavours is expected to extend to both the future of the space industry and the nation as a whole, as highlighted by the Saudi Gazette.