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First Female Saudi Astronaut To Join International Space Station
Saudi Arabia will send a male and female astronaut to the ISS in Q2 of 2023.
Saudi Arabia has officially announced that it will send the first female Saudi astronaut to the International Space Station in Q2 2023 as part of a two-person team. The mission follows in the footsteps of the neighbouring United Arab Emirates which became the first Arab nation to send a citizen into space, back in 2019.
Rayyanah Barnawi and teammate Ali AlQarni will join the crew of the AX-2 space mission in a historic flight that will launch from the USA. Meanwhile, the Saudi Human Spaceflight Program will commence the training of two further astronauts, Mariam Fardous and Ali AlGamdi, for the mission.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes the mission will bolster human spaceflight capabilities and help the country benefit from the opportunities provided by being an active participant in the space industry. An official statement explained that the flight would be “contributing to scientific research that serves the interests of humans in essential fields such as health, sustainability, and space technology.”
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As well as boosting research and development in space-based innovation, The Saudi Human Spaceflight Program will also aid new graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). According to the Saudi Space Commission, the mission to the ISS will make the country one of only a handful to simultaneously bring two astronauts of the same nationality to the International Space Station.
The Spaceflight Program contributes to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a unique transformative economic and social reform blueprint. The AX-2 mission will help to further the country’s plans for the future and enable Saudi innovation to take center stage in the global, connected economy.
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Influencer Growth Fuels Saudi Creator Economy Surge
The Kingdom’s creator economy grew over 32% in Q1 2025, fueled by TikTok, UGC, and cost-per-action (CPA) influencer models.
Saudi Arabia’s creator economy saw a significant 32.37% growth in the first quarter of 2025, driven by an uptick in influencer marketing, content-driven e-commerce, and the increasing influence of user-generated content (UGC). These insights come from a recent study by Admitad and the Stllr Network.
Much of this momentum is coming from video-based platforms, where brands are leaning on creators who feel more relatable than polished ad campaigns. The trend shows a clear preference for authenticity, as audiences gravitate toward content that feels real and personal.
Mohannad Alzahrani, Co-founder and VP KSA of Stllr Network, highlighted the shift: “The rise of user-generated content (UGC) is changing the way brands engage with consumers. Audiences trust real creators more than traditional advertising, making UGC a key driver of authenticity and sales”.
TikTok remains the dominant platform in this space, reportedly reaching 88% of the Saudi population. It also showed the sharpest rise in influencer-led transactions. Other platforms followed with solid, if less dramatic, growth: X was up 17%, Instagram increased by 12%, and Telegram by 10%.
In terms of content niches, beauty led the pack with a 56% growth rate, followed by lifestyle at 45.8% and fashion at 18.2%. Tech content also showed healthy traction at 10.6%, while entertainment, food, fitness, parenting, and gaming posted smaller — but still positive — gains.
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The report analyzed more than 300,000 influencer-driven purchases. These efforts translated into a 15% year-on-year jump in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and a 5% increase in the number of orders in 2024. Influencers themselves are seeing the benefit, with average order values hitting $54 and creator earnings rising by 14%.
A noticeable trend is the move away from fixed-rate deals. More influencers in Saudi Arabia are embracing hybrid compensation models — especially cost-per-action (CPA) setups that tie their earnings directly to performance.
As Anna Gidirim, CEO of Admitad, explains, “The CPA model brings much-needed transparency to influencer marketing. Brands only pay for actual results, and influencers benefit by securing long-term partnerships while offering their audiences exclusive promo codes and special discounts”.
However, the ecosystem still shows a gender imbalance. The data indicates that 63% of creators in Saudi Arabia are men, while women account for just 37%.
Influencer Growth Fuels Saudi Creator Economy Surge
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