RIYADH: Saudi astronauts Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, and US citizens John Schoffner and Peggy Whitson, made a safe splashdown off the coast of Florida on Wednesday, following completing a successful 8-day Ax-2 mission on the International Space Station (ISS).
بعد العودة بسلام إلى الأرض..
يصل رائدا الفضاء السعوديان إلى مطار هيوستن في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، لبدء مرحلة التأهيل بعد العودة من بيئة الجاذبية الصغرى.السعودية #نحو_الفضاء pic.twitter.com/l1IkmsmEBp
— وكالة الفضاء السعودية (@saudispace) May 31, 2023
Many Saudi nationals expressed happiness and pride over the contribution of Saudi astronauts to space research.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) envoy for the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud lauded the contribution of Saudi astronauts to space research and Tweeted: “Filled with pride as I watch Saudi astronauts and the Ax-2 mission land safely back to Earth”.
Filled with pride as I watch our astronauts @Astro_Rayyanah & @AstroAli11 & the Ax-2 team land safely back to earth after their journey to the @Space_Station where they conducted scientific experiments that will further the frontier of scientific innovation & inspired a whole… pic.twitter.com/89pVCEQlD2
— Reema Bandar Al-Saud (@rbalsaud) May 31, 2023
Alqarni and Barnawi successfully completed fourteen science experiments during their stay at ISS. Three experiments were part of the education outreach microgravity trials, which involved more than 12,000 students from 47 regions across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi astronauts return to earth
Mishaal Alshemimry, special adviser to the Chief Executive Office of the Saudi Space Commission said that the education outreach experiments goal is to inspire the students’ interest in space science as they are future scientists, engineers, and astronauts.
Rayyanah Barnawi is the first Arab woman astronaut, who conducted experiments on human immune cells and their provocative response in a microgravity atmosphere.
لقطات مباشرة لمغادرة رائد الفضاء @AstroAli11 للمركبة. #نحو_الفضاء pic.twitter.com/MzD3IRQtzw
— وكالة الفضاء السعودية (@saudispace) May 31, 2023
The experiments were carried out under the supervision of the team led by the chief of King Faisal’s Department of Molecules and Research Scientists. She is the first Saudi female to fly in space.
"Congratulations on an outstanding mission."
The crew of the @Space_Station shared their thanks and farewells after Axiom Mission 2 undocked from the orbiting lab at 11:05am ET (1505 UTC). #Ax2 is scheduled to splash down off the coast of Florida tonight: https://t.co/1jjVHalVMB pic.twitter.com/u8N6ONRDgi
— NASA (@NASA) May 30, 2023
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) first astronaut, Prince Sultan bin Salman, flew to space in 1985. Saudi Arabia had developed the Saudi Space Commission in 2018 and started a program last year in 2022 to send astronauts into International Space Station (ISS).
