Falcon 9 rocket takes astronauts to the ISS
AFP news agency on May 22.5 reported that the second private mission to send people to the International Space Station (ISS) took off in Florida (USA), carrying the first two Saudi astronauts.
Astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer researcher, is the first Saudi woman to travel into space, joining fellow former fighter pilot Ali Al-Qarni.
Mission Axiom 2 (Ax-2) was lifted off by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket (USA) from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida at 17:37 (local time).
Joining the mission were Mrs. Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who participated in the 4th flight to the ISS, and Mr. John Shoffner, a businessman from Tennessee (USA) participating as a pilot.
“Thank you for placing your trust in the Falcon 9 team. Hope you enjoy your trip to space. Wish you have a great journey on the Dragon ship. Welcome back to zero gravity, Miss Peggy," SpaceX chief engineer Bill Gerstenmaier told the crew minutes after the spacecraft took off.
It is intended that the crew will stay at the ISS for 10 days.
Photos of the first two astronauts of Saudi Arabia
During the press conference, Ms. Barnawi (33) shared the honor of being the first female Saudi astronaut to fly to the ISS. Besides research, she will also share her experiences on this space station with the children upon her return.
Her compatriot, fighter pilot Al-Qarni (31) shared that he was always passionate about discovering the unknown and admired the starry sky.
The team of four astronauts plans to conduct about 4 experiments on the ISS, including experiments related to the condition of stem cells in zero gravity.
On the ISS, they will meet a team of 3 Russians, 3 Americans and astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This is the second mission to the ISS with the cooperation of NASA and Axiom Space (a private space company in the US) providing rare trips at a cost of up to millions of dollars.
Axiom Space conducted its first private mission to the ISS in April 4.2022, bringing three businessmen and former astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria to spend seven days in orbit on the Ax-3 mission.
