First Saudi woman voyages to space aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

The first Saudi woman traveled to space Sunday evening, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. The privately-funded Axion Mission 2 will take the crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS).

"Thanks for putting your trust in the Falcon 9 team," SpaceX chief engineer Bill Gerstenmaier told the crew minutes after lift-off, “hope you enjoyed the ride to space. Have a great trip on Dragon.”

Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer stem cell researcher and now the first Saudi woman in space, was accompanied by a Saudi man, Ali Al-Qarni. The two took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., with a former NASA astronaut, Peggy Whitson, and John Shoffner, an American businessman.

"Being the first Saudi woman astronaut, representing the region, it's a great pleasure and honor that I'm very happy to carry," Barnawi said at a press conference, and added that she looked forward to inspiring children with her experience on the ISS, “this is a dream come true for everyone.”

“Just being able to understand that this is possible. If me and Ali can do it, then they can do it, too,” Barnawi referenced the kids she will speak to while aboard the ISS, “being able to see their faces when they see astronauts from their own region for the first time is very thrilling.”

This space mission is not Saudi Arabia's first. In 1985, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, was aboard the STS-51-G space shuttle, and became the first Arab in space. "I reflect on my experience in space many years ago, and I am happy that Saudi Arabia has returned to space once again," he told AFP at a watch party in Riyadh.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently claimed the first Arab to make a spacewalk, with another “Sultan of Space” and the UAE are quickly staking their claim on space. The Gulf region is in a race to capture the satellite launching market, as well as taking part in space tourism.