In first Saudi Arabia to send first woman astronaut into space
The Arab country also plans to launch its National Space Strategy in the coming months, which will reveal space programs and initiatives that aim to serve humanity from space. The country has already signed a deal privately earlier this year with Houston"s Axiom Space, which arranges and manages private missions to space on U.S. spacecraft for researchers and tourists.
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New Delhi, September 23: In a major development for Saudi women, for the first time, the Islamic country has launched its Kingdom astronaut program with the goal of sending the first women into space next year.
The project is being hailed as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s push for promoting science and technology under its wide-ranging ‘Vision 2030’ plan to overhaul its economy and reduce its dependency on oil.
The program will see a woman astronaut being launched alongside male astronauts to space and is part of the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030.
Releasing the statement, the Saudi Space Commission said, " The program will enable Saudi Astronauts to conduct scientific experiments and research for the betterment of humanity in priority areas such as health, sustainability, and space technology."
It added that the astronaut program is an integral part of Vision 2030 and will send "Saudi astronauts into space to help better serve humanity. One of the astronauts will be a Saudi woman, whose mission to space will represent a historical first for the Kingdom."
The Arab country also plans to launch its National Space Strategy in the coming months, which will reveal space programs and initiatives that aim to serve humanity from space. The country has already signed a deal privately earlier this year with Houston's Axiom Space, which arranges and manages private missions to space on U.S. spacecraft for researchers and tourists.
Under the deal, two Saudi astronauts will ride SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule to the space station for a roughly weeklong stay early next year, the sources said. The Saudis would be the first from their country to go into space aboard a private spacecraft.
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