Who is Rayyanah Barnawi? The First Arab Female Astronaut To Go To Space
With her sights set on the stars, she’s broken traditional boundaries and set off on an inspiring journey. Here Bazaar Arabia takes a closer look at her life…
Who is Rayyanah Barnawi? Bazaar Arabira shares everything we know about the first Saudi female astronaut to go to space.
May 22 marked a historic new victory for Arab women around the world. On this day, Rayyanah Barnawi, a 34-year-old biomedical engineer and astronaut from Saudi Arabia, became the first Arab woman to embark on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS), illuminating the path for generations of Saudi women to come next.
Who is Rayyanah Barnawi?
Her fascination for the intergalactic world began at an early age…
Rayyanah’s quest for the stars began with a fascination for space exploration from a young age. Driven to push boundaries and explore the unknown, she set her sights on becoming an astronaut, a dream once considered unattainable for Saudi women.
After receiving a bachelor’s in biomedical sciences from Otago University in New Zealand, she completed her master’s degree from Al Faisal University in Saudi Arabia. Upon graduating, she began her journey as a lab technician at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, working on the stem cell and tissue re-engineering program.
She worked as a stem-cell researcher for 9-years before embarking on her space trip.
With over 9-years of experience working on stem-cell research, the young scientist was selected for Axiom’s second private mission by the Saudi Space Commission. Her selection was officially announced on February 12, 2023.
She plans to further her research on stem cell and breast cancer while in space.
Rayyanah, along with her colleague Ali Al Qarni, a mission specialist, and two other astronauts from the US, departed from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. On her 10-day trip to the orbit, the mission specialist plans to conduct stem cell and breast cancer research.
Her message for young Arabs around the world is to “dream big.”
In a teary-eyed video taken in the Dragon spacecraft, Rayyanah shared her feelings with the world, expressing, “It feels amazing to be viewing the Earth from this capsule.” After this she thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its visionary leaders, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Ultimately, the research scientist called on young people to “dream big and believe in yourselves and humanity.”
Her remarkable feat has helped pave a path for generations of Arab women to come.
As the first female astronaut Rayyanah has become a symbol of empowerment and a catalyst for change. Her journey breaks gender stereotypes and paves the way for future generations of Arab women to pursue careers in STEM fields, inspiring them to reach for the stars.
We’re so proud of Rayyanah and can’t wait to see where this journey takes her!
Images courtesy of Axiom Space