Saudi Arabia Launches 14- Innovative Microgravity Experiments for Human Space Exploration
The Saudi space mission is slated to launch on May 21, 2023. Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Arab Muslim female astronaut, and Ali AlQarni will travel to the International Space Station on this day.
The mission was started on September 22 of last year as a part of the Kingdom's astronaut programme. The mission is a representation of Saudi Arabia's aspirations for space exploration and one of Vision 2030's objectives.
The Saudi space mission will take off from American soil, but more significantly, it represents a historic turning point for the Kingdom. 14, ground-breaking scientific experiments will be carried out by the astronauts in microgravity to advance our understanding of how to best support future space exploration by people.
The outcomes will strengthen the Kingdom's position in space exploration on a global scale and advance efforts to better serve humanity. It will benefit Saudi research institutions and advance science for further space exploration.
Additionally, the astronauts will stream live three educational awareness experiments to 12,000 Saudi students .
Once this trip is complete, the Kingdom will be one of the select few nations to have sent two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) at the same time. If it is successful, the Kingdom's standing in space exploration and humanitarian aid will improve on a worldwide scale.
A significant turning point will be reached for the Saudi astronaut programme. The programme aims to fulfil the objectives of Vision 2030 by preparing future astronauts and engineers for space through high-quality educational and training programmes, involvement in scientific experiments, a global research, and future space-related missions.
Here are some additional details about the Saudi space mission:
- The mission will be launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- The astronauts will travel to the ISS on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
- The astronauts will spend eight days on the ISS, during which time they will conduct a variety of scientific experiments.
Explained : International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is a large spacecraft in orbit around Earth. It serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific research is conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields. The ISS is the ninth space station to be inhabited by crews, following the Soviet and later Russian Salyut, Almaz, and Mir stations and the American Skylab. It is the largest artificial object in the Solar System and the largest satellite in low Earth orbit, regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth's surface. It maintains an orbit with an average altitude of 400 kilometres (250 mi) by means of reboost manoeuvres using the engines of the Zvezda Service Module or visiting spacecraft. The ISS circles the Earth in roughly 93 minutes, completing 15.5 orbits per day.
The ISS was a joint project of five space agencies: the United States' NASA, Russia's Roscosmos, Japan's JAXA, Europe's ESA, and Canada's CSA. The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements. Construction of the ISS began in 1998 and was completed in 2011. The first crew arrived in 2000 and the station has been continuously occupied since then.
The ISS has been visited by astronauts and cosmonauts from all over the world. It has also been the site of many scientific experiments, including studies of the effects of microgravity on the human body, the development of new technologies, and the exploration of space.
The ISS is a symbol of international cooperation and a testament to the human ability to achieve great things. It is a valuable asset to the world and will continue to be used for scientific research and exploration for many years to come.
Additional information on the ISS is provided below.
- It is about the size of a football field.
- It weighs about 460 tons.
- It orbits Earth at an average speed of 17,500 mph.
- It has been continuously occupied since November 2, 2000.
- More than 200 people from 19 countries have visited the ISS.
- The ISS has cost about $150 billion to build and operate.
- The ISS is expected to be operational until at least 2024.
Girish Linganna
Aerospace & Defence Analyst
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
