Saudi astronauts finish training set for space mission

Saudi Space Commission has confirmed that two Saudi astronauts have completed their nine-month training program and are ready for their mission to the International Space Station on May 21.

Rayyannah Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni are now in the mandatory quarantine period before the launch to the International Space Station where they will conduct 14 scientific experiments in the micro gravity environment.

The commission stated that Barnawi and Al-Qarni conducted the experiments in simulated space conditions for 12 days, which included studying Earth’s gravitational forces and their effect on the human body.

They also trained on all the equipment for the mission with Axiom Space and SpaceX at the National Space Training and Research Center — one of the state-of-the-art flight simulator facilities in Pennsylvania, US.

The two astronauts have reportedly emphasized that they are honored to represent Saudi Arabia on this mission.

This project is part of the Kingdom’s space program that was announced last September.