Saudi Arabia to send its first woman into space

Kingdom's space commission will launch a crewed mission next year

The International Space Station (ISS) shows a panorama view of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys (top left) spilling into the Gulf. AFP

Saudi Arabia on Thursday announced plans to send a woman into space for the first time as part of its new mission programme.

A crew will be launched next year that will include the first Saudi female pilot and astronaut, thus marking an important historical event for the kingdom.

The kingdom's astronaut programme aims to produce qualified Saudi citizens that will take part in short and long-term space flights, as well as participate in scientific experiments, international research and future space-related missions.

The new programme comes under the umbrella of Saudi Vision 2030 and will fall under the National Space Strategy — the details of which will be announced in the coming months.

Dr Mohammed Al Tamimi, chief executive of the Saudi Space Commission, held meetings with several senior officials of space agencies and companies on the sidelines of the International Astronautical Congress in Paris this week, SPA reported.