The two Saudi astronauts, Rayana Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni, carried their homeland and people on the historic journey to the International Space Station, which they arrived via the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

The mission, part of the “Axiom 2” program, was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and was joined by American astronauts Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner.

On their journey to the International Space Station, the two Saudi astronauts will join Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who is currently on the International Space Station on a six-month mission.

In her first comment on the crew’s orbital journey, Barnawi said: “Hello from outer space. It is an amazing feeling to see the Earth from this capsule.”

She added: “Here we feel the microgravity of thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the two leaders, King Salman and the visionary Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for supporting this mission.”

She expressed her special regards to her family. “For people all over the world, well, the future is very bright. I want you to dream big. Believe in yourselves and believe in humanity,” she said.

 

 

A historic moment for every Saudi 

For his part, Al-Qarni said that this moment was “historic not only for me but for every Saudi. I could not have done this without the support, love and trust of all of you.”

He expressed his gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for paving the way for this moment and for their “empowerment, support, and endless trust, of which every Saudi should be proud.”

He added: “When I look out into space, I can’t help but think that this is just the beginning of a great journey for all of us.”

Arab world Toward Space

So far, there are four astronauts of Arab origin, along with Bernawi and Al-Qarni. Prince Sultan bin Salman traveled from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the American space shuttle in 1985.

Syrian astronaut Muhammad Fares carried out a space flight in 1987, as part of a joint Syrian-Soviet mission. In 2019, Hazza Al Mansouri from the United Arab Emirates made a trip in the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft to the International Space Station, and in 2023 Al Neyadi moved to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Dragon crew capsule.

Since 1998.

It is noteworthy that the International Space Station – a unique example of cooperation between Russia and the West – has been orbiting the Earth at a speed of about 28,000 kilometers per hour since 1998.

Major developments in space exploration and science in the Arab world occur mainly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Most other Arab countries rely on ground-based space observatories only.

 

 

 

Saudi Space Authority

The Saudi Space Authority was established in 2018 and was headed by Prince Sultan bin Salman at its establishment. It is charged with regulating everything related to space, including security.

It develops plans and policies for its operation, implements the National Space Strategy, regulates Saudi satellites and spacecraft, develops space-related infrastructure, supervises space missions, raises the skills of space-related personnel, enhances space security, and cooperates with similar national and international organizations.

For its part, the Emirates Space Agency was established in 2008, and in 2020 it launched the “Hope Probe”, which aims to discover Mars and enter the planet’s orbit in 2021.

When it was established, the agency proposed the establishment of an Arab space agency, such as the European Space Agency. It develops and regulates a national space sector, encourages space research and innovation, enhances the skills of space-related personnel, and cooperates with similar regional and international organizations.

Arab astronomical achievements

Between the time of Ptolemy and Copernicus, a period of more than a thousand years, astronomy did not witness any significant development in Europe. As for the Islamic world, great progress occurred between the ninth and eleventh centuries – the golden age of Islamic civilization – whether in astronomical mathematical tools or in observing the sky.

The achievements

The achievements, most of which were written in Arabic, were made in the Middle East, Central Asia, Andalusia, North Africa, the Far East, and India. In its early stages, Islamic astronomy relied on translated Hellenic, Sasanian, and Indian astronomical works.

As Arab astronomy advanced and produced its own literature, it influenced Byzantine, Indian, European, Chinese and Malian astronomers as well. To this day, some stars still bear their Arabic names in non-Arabic languages.

For example, Aldebaran and Altair. The same applies to some astronomical concepts and instruments. For example, azimuth, nadir, and alidade.

The golden age of Islamic astronomy

The golden age of Islamic astronomy began during the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid and then his son al-Ma’mun, both of whom sought to promote scientific and cultural work in the empire.

During his reign in Baghdad, between 813 and 833, Caliph Al-Ma’mun established the “House of Wisdom”, the largest library since the Library of Alexandria, and in 829 he established the first permanent astronomical observatory in the world.

 

 

As with earlier and later civilizations, astronomy served a religious role: it helped believers determine times of prayer and fasting, among other rituals. It was also crucial to trade because it allowed caravans and ships to determine their destinations.

Major early translations included Claudius Ptolemy’s Almagest and Euclid’s Elements, but later, Al-Khwarizmi’s Zij al-Sindh (Astronomical Guide to Sindh and India), published in the 870s, was the first pioneering astronomical work in Arabic.

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Prominent Islamic figures

At about the same time as Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Farghani wrote “On the Celestial Movements and the Complete Science of Astrology,” a work based on astronomy developed by Ptolemy. He also presented new ideas.

For example, precession should affect the apparent position of the planets, not just the stars. This work played a major role in Western Europe when it was translated into Latin in the twelfth century.

Arab astronomer Al-Battani

At the end of the ninth century, the dominant figure was the Arab astronomer Al-Battani, who observed the sky from Syria and made measurements with remarkable accuracy for the time. The measurements determine the duration of the solar year, the value of the advance of the equinoxes, and the inclination of the ecliptic. He also took the opportunity to compile a guide of 489 stars.

The Astronomical Guide

From a more theoretical point of view, his major work, Kitab al-Zij (The Astronomical Guide), is of fundamental importance because it first introduced trigonometry into the study of the celestial sphere. This new approach proved to be much more powerful than Ptolemy’s geometric method. This book was translated into Latin in the twelfth century and greatly influenced the great European astronomers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

In 994, the astronomer Al-Khujandi built a massive wall-mounted sextant at the Rai Observatory near Tehran, the first instrument to allow measurements more accurate than a minute of arc. Use it to determine a more accurate value for the inclination of the ecliptic.

Al-Biruni

At about the same time another scholar appeared, Al-Biruni. Like these predecessors, he was interested in many subjects such as mathematics and geography. In astronomy, he excelled in advanced observations of lunar and solar eclipses, but also in a more modern approach to the experimental method, when he analyzed the errors that distorted his and Al-Khujandi’s measurements.

 

 

Omar Khayyam

In the 11th century, Omar Khayyam, known today for his poetry, also became interested in various subjects, particularly algebra and astronomy.

He created new astronomical tables, but distinguished himself above all by determining the length of the solar year with extreme accuracy at that time.

Unfortunately, this golden age of Islamic astronomy ended in the 12th century as European astronomers began to make breakthroughs. The works of this flourishing period were gradually translated into Latin, in Toledo, Spain, and spread throughout Europe.

Through these translations, European scholars of the late Middle Ages rediscovered Ptolemy’s theories and became aware of the progress made in the Islamic world.