The Arab world’s first space mission by a female astronaut has been delayed just days before the historic event was scheduled. Rayyanah Barnawi and her fellow Saudi astronaut Ali Al Qarni were due to blast off to the International Space Centre from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on May 9. However, the ISS issued a statement on May 5 confirming it was “no longer targeting opportunities in early May” for the mission. No reason has been given for the postponement, but NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space are working together to identify a new launch date.
The Saudi space travelers were to be joined on the 10-day mission by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson as the commander, and pilot John Shoffner. The astronauts were scheduled to join Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi on board the orbiting space laboratory. Dr Al Neyadi arrived on the ISS on March 3 for a six-month stint, the first such long-duration mission undertaken by an Arab astronaut.
Mishaal Ashemimry, who leads microgravity research at the Saudi Space Commission, previously said this would be the first flight under the kingdom’s sustainable human space flight program announced in September. Saudi Arabia sent the first Arab into space in 1985 when Prince Sultan bin Salman took off on a space shuttle for a seven-day trip. However, no long-term exploration program followed. Ashemimry said, “This is a significant milestone for us in the kingdom as we launch our first female and our second male to space. We’re excited about this mission because it’s an inaugural mission of our human space flight program.”
Twenty science experiments had been assigned to the AX-2 crew, and the Saudi astronauts were expected to focus on 11 that have been presented to them by universities in the kingdom. While this delay is disappointing for the Saudi space mission, the collaboration between NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space highlights the significant strides being made in the field of space exploration. With the aim of promoting and expanding human spaceflight, the world eagerly awaits the announcement of a new launch date.
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