Shift from ultra-conservative picture: Saudi Arabia to ship its 1st feminine astronaut to area

Saudi Arabia will ship its first ever lady astronaut on an area mission later this yr, state media has reported, within the newest transfer to revamp the dominion’s ultra-conservative picture.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,UPDATED: Feb 14, 2023 07:00 IST

Rayyana Barnawi would be the first ever lady to go on an area mission from Saudi Arabia through the second quarter of 2023. (Photo: Twitter/@saudispace)

By Agence France-Presse: Saudi Arabia will ship its first ever lady astronaut on an area mission later this yr, state media has reported, within the newest transfer to revamp the dominion’s ultra-conservative picture.

Rayyana Barnawi will be part of fellow Saudi male astronaut Ali Al-Qarni on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) “during the second quarter of 2023”, the official Saudi Press Agency mentioned on Sunday.

Also Read | After moving into automobiles, Saudi girls set to enter area

The astronauts “will join the crew of the AX-2 space mission” and the area flight will “launch from the USA”, the company mentioned.

The oil-rich nation might be following within the footsteps of the neighbouring United Arab Emirates which in 2019 turned the primary Arab nation to ship considered one of its residents into area.

At the time, astronaut Hazzaa al-Mansoori spent eight days on the ISS. Another fellow Emirati, Sultan al-Neyadi, will even make a voyage later this month.

Also Read | Saudi Arabia ends gender-segregated entrances for eating places

Nicknamed the “Sultan of Space”, 41-year-old Neyadi will change into the primary Arab astronaut to spend six months in area when he blasts off for the ISS aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Gulf monarchies have been looking for to diversify their energy-reliant economies by a plethora of tasks.

Saudi de facto chief Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has additionally been making an attempt to shake off the dominion’s austere picture by a push for reforms.

Also Read | Saudi Arabia hires, trains a whole bunch of ladies for jobs at 2 grand mosques

Since his rise to energy in 2017, girls have been allowed to drive and to journey overseas with no male guardian, and their proportion within the workforce has greater than doubled since 2016, from 17 % to 37 %.

Saudi Arabia’s foray into area will not be the primary, nevertheless.

In 1985, Saudi royal Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, an airforce pilot, took half in a US-organised area mission, changing into the primary Arab Muslim to journey into area.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia arrange an area programme and final yr launched one other to ship astronauts into area, all a part of Prince Salman’s Vision 2030 agenda for financial diversification.

Posted By:

Raajnandini Mukherjee

Published On:

Feb 14, 2023