Saudi astronauts meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before space launch

Rayyanah Barnawi is set to become the first Saudi woman in orbit

Rayyanah Barnawi shakes hands with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Photo: Rayyanah Barnawi Twitter

Two Saudi astronauts have met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of their historic 10-day trip to the International Space Station.

Rayyanah Barnawi, who will become the first Saudi woman in space, and Ali Al Qarni will blast off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 8 from Florida as part of the Axiom-2 mission.

The trip for Saudi Arabia comes nearly 40 years after the kingdom sent its first citizen to space, when Price Sultan bin Salman embarked for a week-long stay at the ISS on Nasa's Space Shuttle.

The latest Saudi astronauts will join the UAE's Sultan Al Neyadi on the orbiting science laboratory, who is there for a six-month mission.

“The words of His Highness the Crown Prince and Chairman of the Supreme Space Council before our trip to the International Space Station will remain engraved in our hearts,” Ms Barnawi tweeted on Sunday.

“With enthusiasm and determination, we set out to set an example for future generations and strive to achieve scientific progress for our dear country.”

Ms Barnawi, 33, is a research laboratory specialist, with nine years of experience in cancer stem cell research. She has a master's degree in biomedical science from Alfaisal University.

Mr Al Qarni, 31, is an air force captain with 2,387 flying hours logged. He has 12 years of experience on fighter aircraft. He has a bachelor's degree in aeronautical sciences from the King Faisal Air Academy.

They will be launch into space alongside former Nasa astronaut Peggy Whitson as commander and pilot John Shoffner.

Twenty science experiments have been assigned to the AX-2 crew, and the Saudi astronauts will focus on 11 that have been given to them by universities in the kingdom.

Some of their science investigations include testing cloud-seeding techniques in a reaction chamber.

Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals is sending the experiment with the help of the Saudi Space Commission and Nanoracks, a US company that helps its customers launch experiments and technology to space.

They will also carry out an experiment for the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre.

It involves studying the inflammatory response of human immune cells in microgravity.

They will investigate changes in the mRNA — a genetic material that tells the body how to make proteins.

Ali Alghamdi, 31, and Mariam Fardous, 38, are the backup astronauts for Mr Al Qarni and Ms Barnawi.

Saudi astronauts prepare for their ISS mission — in pictures