Saudi astronaut shares breathtaking glimpse of Mecca from space

By A Robin - May 28, 2023

Mecca

Saudi Astronaut Rayana Barnawi has offered her global followers an awe-inspiring view of Mecca from the International Space Station (ISS).

On Friday, she shared a captivating video on Twitter showcasing the night view of Mecca with the Grand Mosque brightly illuminated.

“After I concluded my experiments for the day, we happened to pass over Mecca,” Barnawi commented in her post, amplifying the beauty and sanctity of the holy city seen from space.

Barnawi’s video of Mecca has garnered significant attention, sparking widespread admiration and reminding the world that despite the vast distances, the view from space can bring a new perspective to places of significance on Earth.

Saudi Astronauts Rayana Barnawi and Ali Al Qarni were launched into space on May 21st from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Accompanied by veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and American entrepreneur John Shofner, the launch was organised by Axiom Space.

??? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ??? ??????? ?
??? ??? ??? ? #???_??????

Makkah from the space ?#KSA2Space pic.twitter.com/rh3kZnJw0N
— RAYYANAH BARNAWI (@Astro_Rayyanah) May 26, 2023

Approximately 15 hours after liftoff, the crew arrived at the ISS where they are set to conduct 14 cutting-edge scientific research experiments in the unique microgravity environment.

On Thursday, Barnawi took to Twitter to share an update: “The first steps in starting scientific experiments is to test the response of immune cells to infections using the live experiments box.”