RIYADH: A space mission carrying two astronauts from Saudi Arabia, including the first Saudi and Arab woman in space, announced this week that its launch date from Florida will be on May 8. The astronauts will be traveling on a private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the Saudi Space Commission, NASA, SpaceX and Axiom Space said during a virtual press conference. Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer researcher, will become the first Saudi woman to voyage into space and will be joined on the mission by fellow Saudi Ali Al-Qarni, a fighter pilot. Liftoff of the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 10:43 p.m. ET on May 8 (05:43 a.m. KSA) from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Axiom Space and NASA officials said in a briefing to preview the flight. The four-member crew will travel to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule and spend 10 days aboard the orbiting space station. In 1985, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, an air force pilot, took part in a US-organized space voyage, becoming the first Saudi in space. The UAE has also taken part in space missions and an Emirati astronaut, Sultan Al-Neyadi, arrived on the ISS a month ago for a six-month stay. * With AFP