SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, transported a former NASA astronaut, a female American astronaut, and two Saudi Arabian astronauts to the ISS.
If everything goes smoothly, the four individuals will reach the ISS this morning (May 22), stay for a week, and then return to Earth in an adventurous journey landing off the coast of Florida.
Sponsored by the Saudi Arabian government, Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem cell researcher, became the first woman from the kingdom to travel to space. Accompanying her is Ali al-Qarni, a fighter jet pilot from the Saudi Arabian Air Force.
The rocket launches the spacecraft carrying four individuals to the ISS from the spaceport in Florida on May 21. (Image: AP)
These are the first two Saudi Arabian individuals to journey into space since a prince from the country launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1985.
“This is a real dream. Just to understand that this is possible. If Ali and I can do it, others can do it too,” Barnawi stated before the trip.
One member of the group is John Shoffner, a former racing driver and owner of a sports car racing team, and Peggy Whitson, the first female commander of the ISS and the U.S. record holder for the most cumulative time in space: 665 days.
This is the second private flight to the ISS. The first flight carried three businessmen and a retired NASA astronaut.
The company did not disclose how much Shoffner and Saudi Arabia paid for the 10-day trip. Previously, the company stated that the ticket price per person was $55 million.
The guests will have access to most parts of the ISS, conduct experiments, take photographs of Earth, and engage in conversations with students at home to inspire the younger generation.
After decades of absence in the space tourism industry, NASA is now deploying two private flights per year. The Russian space agency also occasionally carries out such flights.