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Saudi Arabia interested in Russia’s manned space missions — Roscosmos

Saudi Prince Sultan, who became the first Arab and Muslim to fly in space, is now on a visit to Russia

MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/. Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is also the board chairman of the Saudi Space Committee, met with the head of the Russian space corporation Roscosmos in Moscow to discuss cooperation in manned space missions and satellite navigation.

"The Saudi partners demonstrated interest in enhancing cooperation between the two states in a number of areas, including manned space missions, satellite navigation systems (and related technologies and services), the remote sensing of the Earth and joint projects to build space equipment and ground-based launch infrastructure," the Russian space corporation’s press service said.

During the meeting, the sides discussed potential cooperation in the peaceful use of space.

The Saudi delegation’s visit will continue until April 20. The partners plan to visit a number of Russian enterprises and learn about the latest achievements of the Russian rocket and space industry. On April 18 and 19, the delegation will visit the Mission Control Center near Moscow.

The Saudi delegation is also expected to meet with Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov during the visit.

Saudi Arabia established its national space agency, the Saudi Space Committee, in late December 2018. It is led by 62-year-old Prince Sultan, who served as a Royal Saudi Air Force pilot and became the first Arab and Muslim to fly in space after taking part in the American STS-51-G Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist in 1985.