First Saudi Astronauts In Space

Saudi Arabia is planning to launch two astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a space capsule from Elon Musk's SpaceX, sources say.

The sources said the deal was signed privately this year with Houston's Axiom Space, which arranges and manages private missions to space on US spacecraft for researchers and tourists.

The deal makes the kingdom the latest Gulf nation to strengthen ties with private US space companies. Under the deal, two Saudi astronauts will ride SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule to the space station for about a week early next year, the sources said.

The two would be the first from their country to go into space aboard a private spacecraft. They will join two previously announced Americans — retired Nasa astronaut Peggy Whitson and race car driver and investor John Shoffner — the sources said.

The private astronauts aboard Ax-2 have yet to be approved by a Nasa-chaired panel of the space station's participating stakeholders and countries, such as Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency, a US official said.

Axiom launched its first private mission to the space station in April, sending a four-man crew, including a Canadian investor and an Israeli businessman, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

The value of Axiom's Saudi agreement was not clear. Each Crew Dragon seat on Axiom's first mission sold for $55 million.