Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz on Monday met the Saudi astronauts: Rayana Bernawi, Ali Al-Qarni, Mariam Fardous and Ali Al-Ghamdi before the launch of the kingdom’s scientific mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Crown Prince welcomed the crew of the scientific mission on board which is Bernawi, the first Saudi, Muslim, and Arab woman to fly to space, and the first Saudi astronaut, Al-Qarni. He congratulated them for passing the qualifying program.
The Crown Prince also underlined the importance of the space sector as a major pillar in enhancing the kingdom’s global competitiveness, emphasizing at the same time the significance of space exploration in serving science and humanity.
Addressing the astronauts, the Crown Prince also noted that they represent Saudi people and their ambitions to play a vital role in innovations and space research to find sustainable solutions for the welfare of humanity.
He noted that the Saudi people see Bernawi and Al-Qarni as representatives of the kingdom at the ISS saying the objective of the mission is “to empower mankind, protect the planet and open new horizons for research in health and sustainable environment.”
The astronauts expressed their full readiness for the mission.
“The historic mission underlines the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting global space exploration efforts, encouraging scientific research in the field, and enhancing the Saudis’ knowledge and roles in space programs and technologies as per the Saudi Vision 2030,” Saudi Press Agency stated.