Rayyanah Barnawi, Ali Al Qarni’s first day at the International Space Station

The two Saudi astronauts, Rayyanah Barnawi, a research scientist, and Ali Al Qarni, a fighter pilot, arrived at the International Space station (ISS) for their 10-day mission.

The SpaceX Dragon 2 capsule carrying the Saudi astronauts and two American astronauts – Peggy Whitson and Jeff Shoffner – docked at the science laboratory at 5.24pm GST (4.24pm Mecca time), as per the Saudi Press Agency.

The Axiom Space crew join Expedition 69 crew members aboard station, including NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Woody Hoburg, and Stephen Bowen, UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Dmitri Petelin, Andrey Fedyaev, and Sergey Prokopyev.

“Hello from outer space,” Barnawi said earlier in the day while cruising aboard the Dragon. “It feels amazing to be viewing Earth from this capsule. We’re here feeling microgravity.” Barnawi has made history for Saudi Arabia by becoming the first Arab woman in space.

#ICYMI: The @SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship docked to the station at 9:12am ET on Monday bringing four #Ax2 private astronauts from @Axiom_Space to the orbital outpost. More… https://t.co/bZfgNCdVpt pic.twitter.com/Uf0j0Jgtwt

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) May 22, 2023

Barnawi and Al Qarni were welcomed aboard the ISS by UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi, who is at the ISS for a six-month mission.

Welcome aboard the station #Ax2! The four @Axiom_Space private astronauts entered the orbital outpost after opening the @SpaceX Dragon crew ship hatch at 11am ET today. https://t.co/RlZjpuzKHI

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) May 22, 2023

Space mission makes history

The Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi were photographed after arriving on board the ISS following the Dragon’s hatch opening. The Axiom 2 mission brings together three Arab astronauts on board the ISS for the first time in history.

Al Neyadi also published a tweet with a photograph of Saudi Arabia from a height of 400 kilometres as he awaited the arrival of the two Saudi astronauts.

Following in Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud’s pioneering footsteps, 2 Saudi astronauts will launch on their 1st mission to the ISS and for 1st time ever, 3 Arab astronauts will be in space together. As we wish them a great launch, here’s a recent view of Saudi Arabia ?? I took. pic.twitter.com/T33R59iA10

— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) May 21, 2023

The two are the first Saudi citizens to go on such a mission since 1985, when the kingdom sent Prince Sultan bin Salman on NASA’s spacecraft for a week-long trip. Rayyanah Barnawi’s journey is a remarkable achievement for a country that had conducted no such explorations in the last 40 years.

Barnawi said in her telecast to Earth, “I’m representing the hopes and dreams of everyone back home and in the region,” Barnawi said. “I’m very happy to be here. I’m also very glad that I received extensive training and I am  going to enjoy this experience to the max.”

أهلي وأخواني في المملكة..

السماء ماهي حد لطموحنا.. هي البداية فقط??

السعودية #نحو_الفضاء
pic.twitter.com/2pdtigTccE

— RAYYANAH BARNAWI (@Astro_Rayyanah) May 22, 2023

NASA’s update said the Axiom astronauts are expected to depart the ISS on May 30, pending weather, for a return to Earth and splashdown at a landing site off the coast of Florida.

Image Credit: NASA TV