Saudi Space Agency

Short description: Space-related agency of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Space Agency

Agency overview
Abbreviation| SSA
Formed| December 27, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-12-27)
Type| Space agency
Jurisdiction| Government of Saudi Arabia
Headquarters| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Chairperson

| Abdullah Alswaha
Chief Executive Officer| Muhammad al-Tamimi
Owner|  Saudi Arabia
Website| Official English Website

The Saudi Space Agency (SSA; Arabic: وكالة الفضاء السعودية), previously known as the as the Saudi Space Commission (SSC), is a Saudi independent government entity established by a royal order on December 27, 2018 and elevated to an agency on June 14, 2023.[1] The agency is chaired by Abdullah Alswaha, the Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Spaceflights
* 2 List of SSA astronauts
* 3 See also
* 4 References

## Spaceflights

Prior to the establishment of the Saudi Space Agency, the only Saudi astronaut was prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, who flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985 as a Payload Specialist on STS 51-G.

In 2022, the SSA partnered with American private spaceflight company Axiom Space to send two Saudi astronauts, including the first Saudi woman in space, to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon as part of Axiom Mission 2.[3] The astronauts selected were Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, with Ali AlGhamdi and Mariam Fardous as backups.[4]

## List of SSA astronauts

Name
| Selection
| Time in space
| Missions

|
|
|

Ali AlQarni  | 2023  | 9 days, 5 hours and 27 minutes  | Axiom Mission 2
Rayyanah Barnawi  | 2023  | 9 days, 5 hours and 27 minutes  | Axiom Mission 2
Ali AlGhamdi  | 2023  | N/A  | Axiom Mission 2 (backup)
Mariam Fardous  | 2023  | N/A  | Axiom Mission 2 (backup)

## See also

* List of government space agencies
* List of Arab astronauts
* Axiom Mission 2

## References

1. ↑ Obeid, Ghinwa (14 June 2023). "Saudi Space Commission elevated to Saudi Space Agency, expanding Kingdom’s ambitions". https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2023/06/14/Saudi-Space-Commission-elevated-to-Saudi-Space-Agency-expanding-Kingdom-s-ambitions.
2. ↑ "Board Members" (in en). https://ssa.gov.sa/en/boardMembers?path=/board-members/.
3. ↑ Bell, Jennifer (23 March 2023). "Saudi astronauts to research cancer, cloud seeding, microgravity in space". https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2023/03/23/Saudi-astronauts-to-research-cancer-cloud-seeding-microgravity-in-space.
4. ↑ "Axiom Space Partners with Saudi Space Commission to Send First Female Saudi Astronaut to Space" (in en-US). 2022-09-22. https://www.axiomspace.com/news/ssc-partnership.

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