AFP news agency reported on May 22 that the second private mission to send people to the International Space Station (ISS) took off in Florida (USA), carrying the first two Saudi Arabian astronauts.

Astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer researcher, is the first Saudi woman to travel into space, joining fellow former fighter pilot Ali Al-Qarni.

The Axiom 2 (Ax-2) mission was launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 5:37 p.m. local time.

Also participating in the mission were Ms. Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who participated in the 4th flight to the ISS, and Mr. John Shoffner, a businessman from Tennessee (USA) who participated as a pilot.

"Thank you for placing your trust in the Falcon 9 team. Hope you enjoy your spaceflight. Have a great journey aboard Dragon. Welcome back to zero gravity, Peggy," SpaceX chief engineer Bill Gerstenmaier told the crew minutes after the launch.

The crew is expected to stay on the ISS for 10 days.

During the press conference, Ms. Barnawi (33 years old) shared the honor of being the first Saudi female astronaut to fly to the ISS. Besides her research, she will also share her experience on this space station with children when she returns.

Her compatriot, fighter pilot Al-Qarni (31 years old), shared that he has always been passionate about exploring the unknown and admires the starry sky.

The team of four astronauts plans to conduct about 20 experiments on the ISS, including one related to the state of stem cells in zero gravity conditions.

On the ISS, they will meet a crew of three Russians, three Americans and astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This is the second mission to the ISS in collaboration with NASA and Axiom Space (a private space company in the US) providing rare trips at a cost of up to millions of dollars.

Axiom Space conducted the first private mission to the ISS in April 2022, sending three entrepreneurs and former astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria to spend seven days in orbit on the Ax-1 mission.