Saudi Astronauts Rayana Bernawi and Ali Al-Qarni will conduct two scientific research experiments in space, which is an exclusive experience for Saudi Arabia, as it will be implemented for the first time in space.
Speaking to Al-Ekhbariya, Al-Qarni indicated that they will experiment with artificial rain-seeding in space, during their upcoming scientific mission to the International Space Station (ISS), in a low-gravity environment to enable them to study the factors that affect rain-seeding.
The results of the artificial seeding experiment will contribute to the development of the technology used on the earth and raise its efficiency by more than 50%, he said.
From her side, Bernawi stated that they will, under the leadership of Saudi scientists and for the first time in history, transplant an immune cell on ISS by adding specific treatments to the cells, and then they will study their response to treatment in a low-gravity environment, which is not found on Earth.
The Saudi astronauts aim to carry out 14 scientific research experiments in several fields during their mission to the ISS, which will include human medicine, biomedicine, and physics.
There will also be educational awareness experiments that will be directed to students in schools, as these scientific experiments aim to motivate students and achieve the goals of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.
The Saudi astronauts expressed their gratitude and pride in the support and trust of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman for them as astronauts, noting that the aim of this historic stage is to strengthen Saudi Arabia's position globally in the field of space and space exploration to serve humanity.
It is noteworthy that Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Space Council Mohammed Bin Salman received the Saudi astronauts Barnawi, Al-Qarni, Mariam Fardous and Ali Al-Ghamdi, prior to the launch of Saudi Arabia’s scientific mission to the International Space Station with the first Arab and Muslim female astronaut on board.
Barnawi and Al-Qarni will embark on their monumental space expedition on May 9 while Fardous and Al-Ghamdi will be assigned with tasks at the Earth Station to support Barnawi and Al-Qarni during their scientific mission.
Barnawi and Al-Qarni will blast off from Florida on a private mission to the International Space Station (ISS).