Saudi Space Agency

Saudi Space Agency
وكالة الفضاء السعودية
Agency overview
AbbreviationSSA
FormedDecember 27, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-12-27)
TypeSpace agency
JurisdictionGovernment of Saudi Arabia
HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Alswaha
Chief Executive OfficerMuhammad al-Tamimi
Owner Saudi Arabia
WebsiteOfficial English Website

The Saudi Space Agency (SSA; Arabic: وكالة الفضاء السعودية), previously known as the Saudi Space Commission (SSC), is a Saudi independent government entity established by a royal order on December 27, 2018 and elevated to an agency on June 14, 2023.[1] The agency is chaired by Abdullah Alswaha, the Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology.[2]

Spaceflights

Prior to the establishment of the Saudi Space Agency, the only Saudi astronaut was prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, who flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985 as a Payload Specialist on STS 51-G.

In 2022, the SSA partnered with American private spaceflight company Axiom Space to send two Saudi astronauts, including the first Saudi woman in space, to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon as part of Axiom Mission 2.[3] The astronauts selected were Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, with Ali AlGhamdi and Mariam Fardous as backups.[4]

List of SSA astronauts

Name
Selection
Time in space
Missions
Ali AlQarni 2023 9 days, 5 hours and 27 minutes Axiom Mission 2
Rayyanah Barnawi 2023 9 days, 5 hours and 27 minutes Axiom Mission 2
Ali AlGhamdi 2023 N/A Axiom Mission 2 (backup)
Mariam Fardous 2023 N/A Axiom Mission 2 (backup)

See also

References

  1. ^ Obeid, Ghinwa (14 June 2023). "Saudi Space Commission elevated to Saudi Space Agency, expanding Kingdom's ambitions". Al Arabiya English. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Board Members". ssa.gov.sa. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  3. ^ Bell, Jennifer (23 March 2023). "Saudi astronauts to research cancer, cloud seeding, microgravity in space". Al Arabiya English. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Axiom Space Partners with Saudi Space Commission to Send First Female Saudi Astronaut to Space". Axiom Space. 2022-09-22. Retrieved 2024-01-21.


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