SpaceX launches Saudis to ISS

The four were expected to reach the space station in their capsule Monday morning; they’ll spend just over a week there before returning home with a splashdown off the Florida coast.

By

World News

May 22, 2023 - 4:04 PM

In this image from NASA TV, top row from left, Ali al-Qarni, John Shoffner, Rayyanah Barnawi, and Peggy Whitson, pose for a picture with current residents of the International Space Station, Monday, May 22, 2023. The space station rolled out the welcome mat for the two Saudi visitors, including the kingdom's first female astronaut. (NASA TV via AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades rocketed toward the International Space Station on a chartered multimillion-dollar flight Sunday.

SpaceX launched the ticket-holding crew, led by a retired NASA astronaut now working for the company that arranged the trip from Kennedy Space Center. Also on board: a U.S. businessman who now owns a sports car racing team.

The four were expected to reach the space station in their capsule Monday morning; they’ll spend just over a week there before returning home with a splashdown off the Florida coast.

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