… We are holding hands, we are working together for the betterment of humanity and just trying to innovate,” he said during a news briefing last week. Saudi Arabia has faced a barrage of criticism from the Biden administration and Congress over its human rights record, though the ties between the US and Saudi Arabia remain strong.ĪlQarni said he believes Arabs’ participation in spaceflight is a “great opportunity” that can inspire the region. The first was Prince Sultan bin Salman, who spent about a week on a NASA space shuttle mission in 1985. “But I’ve really enjoyed it.”īarnawi and AlQarni are only the second and third Saudis to travel to space. “That’s been one of the biggest challenges for me is learning this particular spacecraft,” she said. Whitson has flown on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft as well as NASA’s space shuttle, but she said preparing for this mission was “obviously different” because it involved training to operate SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which has only been flying astronauts since 2020. Her extensive prior experience on the station made her a US record holder for the most cumulative days logged in space, and she ranks eighth on the all-time list.
This marks Whitson’s first return to space since 2017. During that time, they’ll work through a lineup of more than 20 investigations and science projects - including stem cell and other biomedical research. The AX-2 passengers will spend about eight days working on the space station. “We are here gathering with different cultures, and this international collaboration - this shows how space brings everyone together.” “I’m here not only representing myself but representing the hopes and dreams of everyone back home,” She said. It is very nice to see you here.”īarnawai remarked, “Greetings from outer space.” The AX-2 crew was then able to exit the 13-foot-wide capsule and join the seven astronauts already aboard the space station.Īll eleven astronauts gathered together on Monday for a welcome ceremony, during which the current ISS commander, Russia’s Sergey Prokopyev, told the AX-2 crew, “Welcome dear friends. The hatch on the Crew Dragon spacecraft opened after 11 a.m. Saudi Arabia also paid to fly two citizens: Barnawi and Ali AlQarni, a fighter pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force. SpaceX mission lifts off with former NASA astronaut, three paying customers The Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule, carrying 4 crew members to the International Space Station, lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, U.S. One of the three paying customers joining Whitson is John Shoffner, an American who made his fortune in the international telecom business and founded the hardware company Dura-Line Corp. “I’m really excited about returning to space, but even more excited about welcoming three new astronauts,” Whitson said in a dispatch from the Crew Dragon spacecraft after launch. The AX-2 crew is being led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, 63, now an Axiom employee. With this mission, Whitson also became the first woman to command a private spaceflight. The AX-2 mission is one in a lineup of missions designed to spur private sector participation in spaceflight - particularly in low-Earth orbit, where the space station lies. It also makes history as stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi becomes the first woman from Saudi Arabia to travel to space. The mission, called AX-2, was put together by the Houston-based company Axiom Space and marks the second all-private mission to the orbiting outpost, meaning it’s being carried out by commercial companies rather than a government. The spacecraft officially docked with the space station at 9:12 a.m. A SpaceX capsule carrying a decorated former NASA astronaut and three paying customers linked up with the International Space Station on Monday, kicking off a historic weeklong mission for the crew.Īfter launching from Florida on Sunday afternoon, the crew spent about 16 hours aboard their Crew Dragon spacecraft as it maneuvered toward the space station, which orbits about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
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