Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni (heart) are the prime astronauts for the Ax-2 mission with Mariam Fardous (left) and Ali AlGhamdi (proper) as backups. (Credit score: Saudi Press Company)
Rayyanah Barnawi will make historical past as the primary Saudi girl to journey to area when she joins countryman Ali AlQarni as a part of Axiom House’s second personal mission to the Worldwide House Station (ISS) later this 12 months, the Saudi Press Company introduced on Sunday.
Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with American businessman and race automobile driver John Shoffner as pilot. Barnawi and AlQarni will function mission specialists throughout 12-day Ax-2 flight, which is scheduled for the second quarter of the 12 months.
“This goals to empower nationwide capabilities in human spaceflight geared in the direction of serving humanity and benefiting from the promising alternatives supplied by the area trade, in addition to contributing to scientific analysis in lots of points comparable to well being, sustainability, and area know-how,” the press company mentioned.
Barnawi is a analysis laboratory technician on the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Analysis Centre in Riyadh with 9 years of expertise in most cancers stem cell analysis. She holds a bachelor’s diploma in biomedical sciences from the College of Otago, and a grasp’s diploma in biomedical sciences from Alfaisal College.
AlQarni is a captain within the Royal Saudi Air Pressure the place he pilots F-15SA fighter planes. He has logged 2,387 hours within the air and holds a bachelor’s diploma in aeronautical sciences from King Faisal Air Academy.
Mariam Fardous and Ali AlGhamdi are the backup Saudi astronauts for the mission.
Fardous is a Saudi epidemiologist with 13 years of expertise within the medical area. She maintain’s a bachelor’s levels in medication and surgical procedure, a grasp’s diploma in epidemiology and biostatistician, and a diploma in enterprise administration.
AlGhamdi is a captain within the Royal Saudi Air Pressure the place he flies Hurricane jet. He has eleven years of expertise flying fighter plane and has gathered 2,285 hours within the air. He has a bachelor’s diploma in aeronautical sciences from the King Faisal Air Academy.
Barnawi and AlQarni will turn into the second and third Saudis to fly to area. Sultan bin Salman Al Saud flew a week-long mission aboard the U.S. area shuttle Discovery in June 1985.
Barnawi and AlQarni may also be the fifth and sixth Arab astronauts to fly to area. The checklist contains:
- Syrian astronaut Muhammed Faris, who spent eight days in area throughout a go to to the Soviet area station Mir in July 1987,
- Hazza Al Mansouri of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who flew to ISS aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft throughout an eight-day mission in September 2019, and
- UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who’s scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on Feb. 26 for a six-month keep on ISS.
Will probably be the second industrial mission launched to ISS by Houston-based Axiom House. Former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria commanded a 17-day lengthy mission in April 2022. Paying clients included American Larry Connor, Canadian Mark Pathy and Israeli Eytan Stibbe.
Axiom House has two different missions deliberate. Ax-3 is predicted to fly late this 12 months and embrace two Turkish astronauts. The flight may very well be commanded by Italian Air Pressure Col. Walter Villadei, who Axiom House has named as an expert astronaut.
Ax-4 will embrace the winner of the House Hero tv actuality present and probably a Hungarian astronaut.
