Breaking barriers: Rayyanah Barnawi set to make history as first Arab woman astronaut to travel to International Space Station.
Saudi Arabia’s Rayyanah Barnawi is set to make history as the first Arab woman astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, May 21 as part of the private Ax-2 mission.
Houston-based space technology company Axiom Space will be leading the mission and as the name suggests, it is the company’s second all-private astronaut mission to ISS. The four-person crew for the mission will launch to space in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
Apart from Barnawi, the mission will include Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who will lead the mission, John Shoffner, an aviator who will serve as a pilot for the mission, and Barnawi’s compatriot Ali Aqarni. Both Barnawi and Aqarni will serve as mission specialists during Ax-2.
“I am honoured and happy to represent all the dreams and all the hopes of the people in Saudia Arabia. And also the hopes and dreams of all the women in the region,” said Barnawi during a pre-launch conference streamed by Axiom on YouTube. Barnawi’s space voyage to ISS could be seen as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s recent push to bring more gender equality to the country.
The countdown begins! Launch – 4 days away for the #Ax2 mission to the @Space_Station. Tune in on May 21st! pic.twitter.com/QRW0vD8zrJ
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) May 18, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Earlier this year, UAE’s Sultan Al Neyadi made history as the first Arab astronaut to go on a long-term mission to the International Space Station. Al Neyadi still resides aboard the space station where he will meet both Barnawi, Aqarni and the other astronauts who are part of the Ax-2 mission.
Rayyanah Barnawi’s career
Barnawi’s illustrious career is highlighted in a biography by Axiom Space. She was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1988 and holds a Master of Biomedical Sciences degree from Alfaisal University in Saudi Arabia, and a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences degree from Otago University in New Zealand.