SpaceX made history when they launched Rayyanah Barnawi, the first female Saudi Arabian astronaut, on a privately funded trip to the ISS.
Barnawi has broken barriers for Arab women in science by being the first to study stem cells in space. Ali al-Qarni, a fighter pilot, will accompany her on this historic voyage, making it the first time Saudi Arabia has sent astronauts to the ISS.
Barnawi, al-Qarni, a US businessman, and a veteran NASA astronaut who is now employed by the corporation that organised the space trip set off on Sunday from the Kennedy Space Centre.
The SpaceX mission will cost several million dollars
This is Axiom Space’s second privately arranged voyage to the space station through SpaceX, and it will cost several million dollars. In 2022, the company dispatched a group of three businesspeople accompanied by a former NASA astronaut.
The actual price of a ticket for Axiom Space’s 10-day expedition remains unknown. However, it previously stated that each ticket would cost $55 million (or around €50.85 million).
The most up-to-date NASA price list lists meals and sleeping bags at $2,000 (€1,848) per person each day, with additional equipment costing up to $1,500 (€1,387).
Barnawi and al-Qarni were the first Saudis to ride in a rocket since a prince boarded the shuttle Discovery in 1985, and their tickets were paid for by the Saudi Arabian government.
To read our article about “Saudi Arabia launches a high-tech e-visa system” click here.