A University of Otago alumna made history yesterday after becoming the first woman from Saudi Arabia to lift off into space.
Rayyanah Barnawi (33) was an international student and completed a bachelor of biomedical science degree majoring in reproduction, genetics and development from the university in 2011.
She will focus on stem cell and breast cancer research on the Ax-2 mission, after nine years spent researching for the tissue re-engineering programme at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The crew’s efforts would help to establish Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station.
The university’s acting vice-chancellor Prof Helen Nicholson said the university was extremely proud of Miss Barnawi and it wished her a successful and safe journey in space.