Rayyanah Barnawi (; born September 1988) is a biomedical researcher and astronaut. She is the first Saudi female astronaut, selected for Axiom Mission 2 as a mission specialist by the Saudi Space Commission; her selection was officially announced on February 12, 2023.
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 At the time of her selection, she worked as a research laboratory technician at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh. As part of the mission, she conducted mission experiments in her field.
On May 22, 2023, Barnawi arrived at the International Space Station on board SpaceX ship Crew Dragon Freedom.
She is the first Saudi woman in spacehttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/22/spacex-sends-saudi-astronauts-including-first-arab-woman-to-iss#:~:text=News%7CSpace-,SpaceX%20sends%20Saudi%20astronauts%2C%20including%20first%20Arab%20woman%2C%20to%20ISS,woman%20to%20go%20to%20space.&text=A%20private%20rocket%20carrying%20the,International%20Space%20Station%20(ISS). and is considered as the 600th person to fly in Earth orbit.600th person to orbit Earth lifts off on Ax-2 mission to space station
In 2024 she received the Visionary Award of the Middle East Institute.I voiced the Arabic greeting on Voyager’s Golden Record: International space cooperation offers a model for peace in today’s Middle East
See also
History of women in aviation in Saudi Arabia
References