The mission that takes the new astronauts to the space station is called Axiom 2. They will arrive at the station around 14:30 Finnish time.
The astronauts of the Axiom 2 mission were sent on a SpaceX rocket. Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock
World history is happening when the first Saudi Arabians arrive on the International Space Station (ISS).
Axion Space astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali al-Qarni was sent on its way to the ISS on the night between Monday and Sunday at 00:37 Finnish time. The commander is also on the trip Peggy Whitson and the pilot John Shoffner.
Barnawi is the first female Saudi astronaut in history. He is a biomedical researcher by background. On the space station, he conducts research related to stem cells and breast cancer.
Rayyanah Barnawi seemed happy to leave. Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock
Al-Qarni is a pilot by background and works at the station as a technical specialist.
This is Axiom’s second flight into space. The mission is called Axiom 2.
Axiom and SpaceX cooperation
Astronauts were sent to the ISS by a technology billionaire Elon Muskon a rocket owned by the SpaceX space company. The rocket consists of a Falcon 9 thruster and a Dragon crew carrier.
– Congratulations to Axiom, SpaceX and the crew of the Axiom 2 mission on a successful launch, representative of the NASA administration Bill Nelson stated.
The goal of the Axiom Space company is to build the world’s first commercial space station.
Live broadcast of the event
The launch took place from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket is scheduled to dock at the station on Monday at 14:30 Finnish time. You can follow NASA’s live broadcast of the docking and arrival of the astronauts to the ISS from here.
The ISS orbits the earth at an altitude of about 28,000 kilometers and can be seen with the naked eye. Russia retreated at the station about the cooperation taking place at the end of April. However, there are still cosmonauts from the Russian space agency Roscosmos on the station.
The astronauts of the Axiom 2 mission are scheduled to return to Earth on May 30.