SpaceX is set to make history on Sunday by launching a private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) with two Saudi astronauts among the crew. The mission, organized by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company that arranges and manages private flights to space, will be the first to send Saudi nationals to the orbiting laboratory in decades.

The Saudi astronauts are Rayyanah Barnawi, a researcher at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and Ali AlQarni, a lecturer at King Saud University. They will be joined by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who holds the record for the most time spent in space by an American, and John Shoffner, an investor and pilot who owns his own sports car racing team. The crew will fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which will lift off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

They will spend 10 days at the ISS, conducting scientific experiments and educational activities. The mission, dubbed Ax-2, is the second spaceflight arranged by Axiom Space, which plans to launch several more private missions to the ISS in the coming years. The company also aims to build its own commercial space station by 2028. The deal with Axiom Space reflects Saudi Arabia’s ambition to develop its space sector and enhance its scientific and technological capabilities.

The kingdom established its space agency in 2018 and has launched several satellites and participated in international space initiatives. The mission also showcases the growing role of private U.S. companies in sending astronauts to space, as NASA shifts its focus to returning humans to the moon and beyond. SpaceX, founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has become a key partner for NASA and other space agencies, as well as for private customers seeking orbital adventures.

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