Elon Muskobsessed SpaceX would provide two seats for Saudi Arabian astronauts in its crew Dragon’s Space Capsule en route to the International Space Station, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the arrangement.
These astronauts will allegedly will be on a two-week mission early next year and have the privilege of being the first to fly into space in a private spacecraft from Saudi Arabia.
The deal was signed between Saudi Arabia and Houston earlier this year axiom space, which arranges private space missions for researchers and tourists on U.S. spacecraft, the report said. This mission, named Ax-2, would be the second spaceflight arranged by Axiom.
The Saudis will have two American passengers: a retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and racer and investor John Shoffneraccording to Reuters.
The private astronauts have yet to be reviewed by a NASA-led panel of participating ISS stakeholders and countries, the report said. Each Crew Dragon seat on Axiom’s first mission, Ax-1, reportedly sold for $55 million.
