First Saudi Arabian woman astronaut set for space mission
Rayyana Barnawi will become the first woman from Saudi Arabia to be part of a space mission on May 9.
History is being scripted by women in Saudi Arabia. The latest on that front is that the first ever woman astronaut from the conservative middle eastern nation will lift off to space on May 9, this year.
Astronaut Rayyana Barnawi is all set for her journey into space. She will join fellow Saudi male astronaut Ali Al-Qarni on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in the second quarter of this year. Barnawi will make history when she travels to space alongside the crew of the AX-2 space mission, which will lift off from Florida on May 9.
Major event for Saudi women
This event is something that would raise the standing of Saudi Arabia among the global community, as the nation had always preferred to keep its women indoors. The scenario has been changing for the better as many a policy towards women’s liberations had been brought in by the administration of late.
Among them was the decision that allowed women to drive. Till recently this was a strict no. But with the new norm that came about in 2018, women have found themselves comfortably seated behind the wheel and have been driving towards a free existence. Not just that, the same year also witnessed women being allowed into stadiums to watch sporting events.
Gender equality arrives in the Arab nation
Now with the decision to send a woman to space, Saudi Arabia definitely seems to be on the right road towards gender equality. The spotlight currently is on the 33-year-old woman astronaut Rayyana Barnawi. A biomedical researcher, she secured her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from Otago University, New Zealand and has a Master’s in Biomedical Sciences from Alfaisal University, Riyadh. Barnawi comes into the space mission with over nine years of experience in cancer stem cell research, and will be carrying forward her mission experiments aboard the ISS.
A member of the Axiom Space officials, Barnawi will fly into space along with NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner, apart from her compatriot from Saudi Arabia. They will all fly to the ISS on board a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of the mission undertaken by the private space company, Axiom Space.
Barnawi’s travel to space is expected to bring in more such good news to women in Saudi Arabia. The world is watching with excitement.
