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Meet Prince Sultan Bin Salman: The First Arab and Muslim in Space
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Moneycontrol•15-10-2026, 13:14
Meet Prince Sultan Bin Salman: The First Arab and Muslim in Space
- •Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud became the first Arab, Muslim, and Saudi citizen to travel to space on June 17, 1985.
- •He flew aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-51-G mission at just 28 years old, making him the youngest person to fly on the shuttle at the time.
- •Selected from a shortlist of 20 candidates, he underwent rigorous training for the mission which involved deploying communications satellites like Arabsat-1B.
- •During the seven-day mission, he also conducted scientific investigations and photographed Earth from microgravity.
- •His historic flight laid the foundation for Saudi Arabia's space exploration history, paving the way for future astronauts like Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni.
Key Questions Answered
Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud flew into space on June 17, 1985, aboard NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery as part of the STS-51-G mission.
He was selected as a payload specialist from a shortlist of 20 candidates after Saudi Arabia was invited to nominate an astronaut to accompany a communications satellite. He then underwent about 10 weeks of intensive training at NASA's Johnson Space Centre.
During the mission, he helped deploy three communications satellites including Arabsat-1B, photographed Earth, and participated in scientific investigations involving microgravity, ionised gas, and phase separation.
