Sultan Al Neyadi prepares to welcome Saudi astronauts on space mission

The UAE's Sultan Al Neyadi and fellow crew members on board the International Space Station are preparing to welcome four astronauts arriving next week, including two from Saudi Arabia.

Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Saudi woman astronaut, and Ali Al Qarni are launching on a private trip to the orbiting laboratory, alongside American astronauts Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner.

The private trip, called Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), has been arranged by Houston company Axiom Space. The crew members will live on the ISS for eight days.

"Four station flight engineers joined each other during Tuesday afternoon and reviewed the Ax-2 mission schedule," Nasa said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Nasa astronauts Stephen Bowen, Frank Rubio, and Woody Hoburg, along with UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, familiarised themselves with the upcoming mission activities and reviewed how the crews will co-ordinate during docked operations."

The mission is set to blast off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 22 at 1.37am GST (May 21, 5.37pm ET), from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

A back-up date of May 23 is also available.

If lift-off goes ahead on May 22, the crew will dock at the ISS later that day at 5.30pm.

But if both launch opportunities are missed, the crew may have to wait until the summer, as Nasa and SpaceX will have to prioritise other missions.

The Ax-2 crew members are currently in their mandatory pre-flight quarantine and are going through final preparations for the mission.

Ms Barnawi and Mr Al Qarni will serve as mission specialists on their trip, while former Nasa astronaut Ms Whitson is the commander and Mr Shoffner will be the pilot.

The mission is set to include several firsts, including the first woman to serve as commander on a private trip, the first Saudi astronauts to go to the ISS, and the first Arab woman on the space station.

It will also be the first time astronauts from two Arab countries have visited the floating laboratory.

Inspiring the Arab world

Mr Al Qarni said in a media briefing on Tuesday that he hoped UAE and Saudi astronauts working together in space would inspire the Arab world.

SpaceX rocket that will carry Saudi astronauts to space is 'ready to fly'

Saudi and UAE astronauts working together in space 'will inspire the Arab world'

“I think it is a great opportunity that the three of us can be aboard the International Space Station,” he said.

“It holds a big message that will inspire people and shows the Arab world [that] we are holding hands and working together for the betterment of humanity.”

While the crew on the ISS await the guests, they have been continuing with their assignments.

Dr Al Neyadi and Mr Hoburg spent most of Tuesday working on a treadmill.

They rotated the exercise rack from its stowage position to gain access to its internal electronics components for inspection and cleaning.

Dr Al Neyadi also spent time testing the operations of the Astrobees - cube-shaped robotic devices - for an upcoming student competition.

He and three of his colleagues, two Americans and one Russian, are expected to return to Earth in late August.

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