Saudi astronaut Rayyana Barnawi has provided her global followers with a breathtaking glimpse of Makkah from the International Space Station (ISS). In a captivating video shared on Twitter, she showcased the illuminated night view of Makkah’s Grand Mosque. Barnawi expressed her awe at the beauty and sacredness of the holy city as seen from space, mentioning that she happened to pass over Makkah after concluding her experiments for the day.
The video of Makkah captured by Barnawi has attracted significant attention, evoking widespread admiration and serving as a reminder that the view from space can offer a fresh perspective on Earth’s significant locations.
Barnawi, along with fellow Saudi astronaut Ali Al Qarni, was launched into space on May 21st from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The launch was organized by Axiom Space and included veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and American entrepreneur John Shofner.
After approximately 15 hours, the crew arrived at the ISS, where they will carry out 14 advanced scientific research experiments in the unique microgravity environment. Barnawi provided an update on Thursday, stating on Twitter that the initial steps involve testing the response of immune cells to infections using the live experiments box.
