The World Briefly
May 24, 2023A Gigantic Leap
Saudi Arabia
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Saudi biologist Rayyanah Barnawi became the first female Arab astronaut to go into space, a milestone for the desert kingdom where women were only given permission to drive in 2018, the BBC reported.
Barnawi is one of two Saudis on Axiom Space’s second private mission, which took off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the United States over the weekend. The complete crew consisted of fellow Saudi mission specialist Ali al-Qarni and two Americans.
Barnawi and her colleagues will spend 10 days in orbit on the International Space Station, where they will conduct more than 20 experiments, including the impact of space on human health, and rain-seeding technology.
The 34-year-old researcher said she will carry out stem cell and breast cancer research during her stay.
She called the experience of becoming the Gulf kingdom’s first female astronaut “a great pleasure and honor that I’m very happy to carry.” She also hopes to inspire other women in the Middle East.
Barnawi and al-Qarni are the first Saudis to ride in a rocket since a Saudi prince traveled on the space shuttle Discovery in 1985, Euronews noted.
Involving a Saudi woman in a space mission is the latest attempt by the oil-rich country to rebrand itself away from its ultraconservative image.
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