Rayyanah Barnawi
ريانة برناوي
Barnawi in 2023
BornSeptember 1988 (age 35)
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
StatusActive
Space career
Time in space
9 days, 5 hours and 27 minutes
Selection2023
MissionsAxiom Mission 2

Rayyanah Barnawi (Arabic: ريانة برناوي; born September 1988)[1][2] is a biomedical researcher[3] and astronaut. She is the first Saudi female astronaut, selected for Axiom Mission 2 as a mission specialist[4] by the Saudi Space Commission; her selection was officially announced on February 12, 2023.[5]

She is the first Arab woman in space.[6]

Education and research

She holds a Bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences from University of Otago. She also holds a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences from Alfaisal University, where she studied the adhesion of breast cancer stem cells.

Astronaut

When she was selected she was working as a research laboratory technician at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh. As part of the mission, she is conducting mission experiments in her field.[7]

On May 22, 2023, Barnawi arrived at the International Space Station on-board SpaceX ship Crew Dragon Freedom.[8]

She is the first Arab woman in space[9] and is considered as the 600th person to fly in Earth orbit.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Meet Rayyanah Barnawi, Ax-2 Mission Specialist". Axiom Space. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Get to Know Rayyanah Barnawi, Saudi Arabia's First Female Astronaut". Vogue. 16 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Saudi Arabia to send its first woman astronaut into space". The Independent. 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  4. ^ Alaeva, Liliia (14 February 2023). "Saudi Arabia will send a woman into space for the first time". Журнал The Universemagazine Space Tech. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  5. ^ "In Line with Vision 2030, the Kingdom Returns to Space by Sending a Male and Female Astronaut to the International Space Station The official Saudi Press Agency". www.spa.gov.sa. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ Mike Wall (13 February 2023). "SpaceX to launch 1st Saudi woman to space on private Ax-2 mission". Space.com. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  8. ^ "First Arab female astronaut reaches space station". BBC. 22 May 2023.
  9. ^ [2]
  10. ^ 600th person to orbit Earth lifts off on Ax-2 mission to space station


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