RIYADH: Saudi students’ winning entries from the “Space Madak” competition were launched to the International Space Station on Wednesday morning, the Saudi Space Agency announced.
The launch was part of an international mission that lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States.
Ten experiments designed by students from Saudi Arabia and across the Arab world were included in the launch — a landmark event that reflects the Kingdom’s push to advance scientific innovation and empower young talents in the space industry.
The “Space Madak” competition was set up to support and encourage those who are fascinated by space science and technology and are eager to learn how to turn their ideas into practical scientific applications in the microgravity environment aboard the ISS.
The competition, an initiative by the agency in partnership with the Misk Foundation and the Ilmi Science Discovery and Innovation Center, consisted of three categories: “Art: Bezel of Inspiration,” open to ages 6-11; “Agriculture: Bezel of Growth,” open to ages 12-14; and “Engineering: Bezel of Innovation,” open to ages 15-18.
More than 80,000 students participated from across the Arab world.
At the launch of the competition in February last year, Rayyanah Barnawi, the first female Saudi astronaut and supervisor of the competition, said that it was bound to expand the horizons of ambitious young minds and fuel their creativity.
The competition presented a “unique opportunity for students in the Arab world to participate in a journey of discovery and innovation,” she said.
Barnawi was selected by the agency to join Axiom Mission 2 in May 2023, and with fellow Saudi astronaut Ali Al-Qarni, conducted 14 experiments on the ISS — 11 on research in a microgravity environment focused on human health, cell sciences, and cloud seeding, and three interactive educational experiments with students in the Kingdom.
The achievement by the students is a reflection of the Saudi Space Agency’s efforts to fortify the Kingdom’s presence in international space programs and to promote an environment that supports a knowledge-based economy, in accordance with Vision 2030 goals of preparing a generation capable of becoming active contributors in the future of the space sector.
