Washington. A SpaceX company capsule docked yesterday to the International Space Station (ISS) with four passengers, including two astronauts from Saudi Arabia, who were traveling as part of a private mission organized by the American company Axiom Space.
Rayyanah Barnawi, a scientist who became the first Saudi woman to go into space, and Ali AlQarni, a fighter pilot, are the first two Saudi citizens to reach the ISS.
“It was a good trip,” said mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who has been to the ISS three times. The fourth crew member is American businessman John Shoffner.
The four passengers will join the seven astronauts already on board (three Russians, three Americans and one Emirati). The SpaceX rocket lifted off from Florida on Sunday and the journey took about 16 hours.
This mission, called Ax-2, It is the second totally private one to travel to the space station, after a first one carried out in April 2022.
#Private #mission #arrived #International #Space #Station #includes #Saudi #female #astronaut