Saudi Arabia Launches First Astronauts in Decades Aboard SpaceX Capsule

In a historic event on Sunday, SpaceX launched Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts since 1985 into orbit toward the International Space Station. Sponsored by the Saudi Arabian government, the crew includes the first woman from the kingdom to travel to space, stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi, and Ali al-Qarni, a fighter pilot with the Royal Saudi Air Force. This milestone flight marks the revival of Saudi Arabia’s participation in space missions.

Accompanying them is retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, the station’s first female commander, and John Shoffner, a US businessman and owner of a European sports car racing team. The mission is coordinated by Houston-based Axiom Space, a company aiming to establish a stand-alone outpost in space for hire, marking the dawn of private space tourism.

This multimillion-dollar journey will span just over a week, after which the crew will return to Earth with a splashdown off the Florida coast. Their mission includes conducting experiments, interacting with students back home, and photographing Earth.