Saudi Space Agency

The Saudi Space Agency (SSA; وكالة الفضاء السعودية), previously known as the Saudi Space Commission (SSC), is a Saudi independent government entity established by a royal order on December27, 2018 and elevated to an agency on June 14, 2023. The agency is chaired by Abdullah Alswaha, the Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

On July 17, 2024 it was reported that the Sudia space agency signed a space agreement with NASA to collaborate on civilian space research and explorations. This is another step forward on the country's ambition to create a robust space sector.

Spaceflights
Prior to the establishment of the Saudi Space Agency, the only Saudi astronaut was prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, who flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985 as a Payload Specialist on STS 51-G.

In 2022, the SSA partnered with American private spaceflight company Axiom Space to send two Saudi astronauts, including the first Saudi woman in space, to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon as part of Axiom Mission 2. The astronauts selected were Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, with Ali AlGhamdi and Mariam Fardous as backups.