Ali AlQarni ( ar, علي القرني; born March 1992) is a Saudi astronaut, selected for

Axiom Mission 2 Axiom Mission 2 (or Ax-2) is a planned private crew mission to the International Space Station (ISS), operated by Axiom Space. Its first two crew members have been announced in May 2021. In December 2021, NASA confirmed that the mission would f ...

by the

Saudi Space Commission Saudi Space Commission (SSC) (Arabic: الهيئة السعودية للفضاء) is a Saudi independent government entity established by a royal order on December 27, 2018. The commission is chaired by Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi Minister of Commun ...

; his selection was officially announced on February 12, 2023. He holds a bachelor's degree in aeronautical sciences from

King Faisal Air Academy The King Faisal Air Academy () is a military officer academy and flight school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia founded on 10 January 1968. History Founded on 10 January 1968, by Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Defense and Aviation, King Fai ...

. He is a captain in the

Royal Saudi Air Force The Royal Saudi Air Force ( ar, ‎الْقُوَّاتُ الْجَوِّيَّةُ الْمَلَكِيَّةْ ٱلسُّعُوْدِيَّة, Al-Quwwat Al-Jawiyah Al-Malakiyah as-Su’udiyah) (RSAF) is the aviation branch of the Saudi Arabia ...

, where he pilots the F-15SA. He has logged 2,387 hours of flying time.

Astronaut

On May 22, 2023, AlQarni arrived at the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...

aboard SpaceX ship Crew Dragon ''Freedom'' with fellow Saudi astronaut

Rayyanah Barnawi Rayyanah Barnawi ( ar, ريانة برناوي; born September 1988) is a biomedical researcher and astronaut. She is the first Saudi female astronaut, selected for Axiom Mission 2 as a Mission Specialist by the Saudi Space Commission; her select ...

, John Shoffner and former

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

astronaut

Peggy Whitson Peggy Annette Whitson (born February 9, 1960) is an American biochemistry researcher, retired NASA astronaut, and former NASA Chief Astronaut. Whitson has a total of 665 days in space, more than any other woman or American. Her first space mi ...

. During his eight-day stay in the International Space Station, he conducted several experiments and outreach events.

References

1992 births Living people People from 'Asir Province Saudi Arabian astronauts Saudi Arabian military aviators 21st-century Saudi Arabian people {{Astronaut-stub