Astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi, along with fellow Saudi astronaut Ali al-Qarni, will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the AX-2 space mission.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), on February 12, the Saudi government announced plans to send Rayyanah Barnawi—the first female astronaut from the Middle Eastern nation—to the International Space Station (ISS) in the second quarter of 2023.
Astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi.
Astronaut Barnawi, along with fellow astronaut Ali al-Qarni, will be launched to the ISS with the crew of the AX-2 space mission.
These two individuals will also be the first astronauts from Saudi Arabia to travel into space. The spacecraft carrying them to the ISS is expected to be launched from the United States.
According to SPA, this plan by Saudi Arabia aims to enhance national capabilities in manned spaceflights and contribute to scientific research in areas such as healthcare, sustainable development, and aerospace technology.
This initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s human spaceflight program, which also includes plans to recruit one more male astronaut and one additional female astronaut to meet the demands of various space missions.
As per the latest updates on Wikipedia, astronaut Barnawi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science from the University of Otago (New Zealand) and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Science from Alfaisal University (Saudi Arabia).
Additionally, she has nine years of experience in cancer stem cell research.
At the time of her selection as the first female astronaut to fly into space from Saudi Arabia, Barnawi was a laboratory technician at the King Faisal Research Center and Specialist Hospital in the capital city of Riyadh.
