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Saudi Arabia’s Bernawi, Al-Qarni Rocket towards ISS

Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades, Rayana Bernawi, and Ali Al-Qarni, rocketed toward the International Space Station on Sunday. (SPA)
Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades, Rayana Bernawi, and Ali Al-Qarni, rocketed toward the International Space Station on Sunday. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Bernawi, Al-Qarni Rocket towards ISS

Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades, Rayana Bernawi, and Ali Al-Qarni, rocketed toward the International Space Station on Sunday. (SPA)
Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades, Rayana Bernawi, and Ali Al-Qarni, rocketed toward the International Space Station on Sunday. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades, Rayana Bernawi, and Ali Al-Qarni, rocketed toward the International Space Station on Sunday.

SpaceX launched the crew, led by a retired NASA astronaut now working for the company that arranged the trip from Kennedy Space Center. Also on board: a US businessman who now owns a sports car racing team.

They should reach the space station in their capsule Monday morning; they’ll spend just over a week there before returning home with a splashdown off the Florida coast.

Bernawi, a stem cell researcher, became the first woman from the Kingdom to go to space. Al-Qarni is a fighter pilot with the Royal Saudi Air Force.

They’re the first from their country to ride a rocket since a Saudi prince launched aboard shuttle Discovery in 1985. In a quirk of timing, they’ll be greeted at the station by an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates.

“Hello from outer space! It feels amazing to be viewing Earth from this capsule,” Bernawi said after settling into orbit.

Added al-Qarni: “As I look outside into space, I can't help but think this is just the beginning of a great journey for all of us.”

Rounding out the visiting crew: Knoxville, Tennessee’s John Shoffner, former driver and owner of a sports car racing team that competes in Europe, and chaperone Peggy Whitson, the station’s first female commander who holds the US record for most accumulated time in space: 665 days and counting.

The mission aims to conduct scientific and research experiments that can help strengthen the Kingdom's global position in the field of space exploration, serve humanity and highlight the role of Saudi research centers.

During their trip, the two Saudi astronauts will carry out 14 research and scientific experiments in a microgravity environment, including three educational awareness experiments on the ISS. The experiments will focus on human research, cell sciences, and artificial cloud seeding.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC), headed by Dr. Khalid Abu Khabar, Dr. Wejdan Al-Ahmadi and Dr. Edward Hitti and the Saudi Space Commission (SSC) will supervise the cell sciences experiment. They will monitor how the inflammatory response changes in space and the resulting changes in the lifespan of the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) between space and Earth.

The King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, headed by Dr. Ashraf Farahat, and in cooperation with the SSC, will supervise the cloud seeding experiment, which aims at simulating the process used in the Kingdom and many countries to increase rates of precipitation.

The experiment will help scientists and researchers come up with new methods to provide suitable conditions for humans to live in space colonies on the surface of the Moon and Mars. The experiment will help improve researchers' understanding of cloud seeding technology that helps increase rainfall in several countries.

Saudi Arabia’s Nebula Research and Development, led by Dr. Bader Shirah, in cooperation with the SSC, will conduct six experiments in the field of human research to learn about human adaptation to spaceflight, its safety on the brain and to understand the effects that occur on human health while in space.

During these experiments, the functions of human organs and vital systems will be tested in microgravity, such as measuring blood flow to the brain, assessing intracranial pressure and electrical activity of the brain, and monitoring changes in the optic nerve.

Moreover, experiments will include taking blood and biological samples to examine the vital signs associated with spaceflights, and mapping changes in the length, structure, and epigenetics of genes.

The Kingdom's male and female students will participate in scientific experiments aboard the ISS, to enhance cognitive awareness of space science and its contribution to improving the quality of life on Earth.

Students will be able to communicate with the Saudi astronauts directly by conducting their experiments together. The process will be held in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity "Mawhiba", Riyadh schools, and Misk schools.

The mission is part of the Kingdom's astronauts’ program, which is one of the programs that aims, in its first phase, to send two Saudi astronauts, a male and female, on a manned spaceflight to the ISS.

The program is expected to consolidate the Kingdom's position and place it among leading countries, inspiring future generations in space technologies, promoting scientific research in various fields of space, and strengthening national partnerships and cooperation with relevant authorities.

The program bears special significance in achieving the Kingdom's aspirations and goals of its Vision 2030.

The program aims to activate scientific innovations in space sciences. This will reflect positively on the future of the industry and the country. It focuses on the importance of developing skills, such as increasing national interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates and scaling-up investment in their potentials and developing human capital in accordance with the objectives of Vision 2030 by attracting talents and developing the necessary skills.

The launch of this program will pave the way for the Kingdom's ambitions in the field of space exploration, especially since it is able to conduct its own research independently.

This ambition is reinforced by the Kingdom’s previous achievements in space flight. Through the program, it aspires to enable more distinguished and talented citizens to unleash their capabilities and compete on the local and global levels.

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KAUST Unveils Landmark Coral Facility on Red Sea, Advancing Saudi Scientific Expertise and Marine Conservation

KCRI is designed to restore the Red Sea reefscape and offer a framework that coral restoration programs worldwide can adopt. (SPA)
KCRI is designed to restore the Red Sea reefscape and offer a framework that coral restoration programs worldwide can adopt. (SPA)
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KAUST Unveils Landmark Coral Facility on Red Sea, Advancing Saudi Scientific Expertise and Marine Conservation

KCRI is designed to restore the Red Sea reefscape and offer a framework that coral restoration programs worldwide can adopt. (SPA)
KCRI is designed to restore the Red Sea reefscape and offer a framework that coral restoration programs worldwide can adopt. (SPA)

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) launched the KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative’s large-scale coral facility, restoring and advancing one of Saudi Arabia’s most precious natural assets, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

On Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, the KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative (KCRI) land-based nursery and research campus is now growing corals at scale. It is designed to produce up to 360,000 corals a year, to outplant more than two million corals across 100 hectares of reef at Shushah Island by 2030, and to establish a resilient reef ecosystem by 2040.

This opening of the world’s largest coral restoration facility, announced at COP31 in Antalya, arrives at a moment of acute urgency for the world’s reefs. The fourth global coral bleaching event, confirmed by NOAA as the most severe in recorded history, affected more than 84% of the world’s reef area between 2023 and 2025.

Coral reefs support around a quarter of all marine species, protect coastlines from storms and sustain the livelihoods of more than 500 million people. (SPA)

The Red Sea is the right place to start. Its corals live in some of the warmest, saltiest waters on Earth, and they hold lessons about resilience that reefs everywhere will need. KCRI combines the Red Sea’s unique corals with KAUST’s world-class marine science to learn how corals can be grown at scale and conditioned to withstand warmer water before they return to the reef.

The initiative also draws on the expertise of the Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP), which works internationally to accelerate scientific and technological solutions for coral reef conservation and restoration.

KCRI brings four components together in a single restoration system, including a large-scale land-based coral nursery, sea-based nurseries, more than 50 research programs spanning coral probiotics, heat-resilient corals, robotics and AI-driven modelling and eCoral, an AI-driven digital twin of the reefscape that guides where and how every coral is planted and monitored.

Saudi scientists, divers and aquarists are playing an important role in KCRI’s restoration efforts, developing specialist expertise in coral cultivation, marine science and reef restoration. (SPA)

Saudi scientists, divers and aquarists are playing an important role in KCRI’s restoration efforts, developing specialist expertise in coral cultivation, marine science and reef restoration. Beyond its restoration activities, KCRI represents a long-term investment in Saudi Arabia’s marine science capabilities.

Coral reefs support around a quarter of all marine species, protect coastlines from storms and sustain the livelihoods of more than 500 million people. KCRI is designed to restore the Red Sea reefscape and offer a framework that coral restoration programs worldwide can adopt.

KAUST is also working with international partners on how coral diversity can be safeguarded for future generations.

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Portugal Closes All Schools and Non-Essential Services Ahead of a Major Atlantic Storm

Heavy machinery clears the debris from a landslide along the Marocos road in Machico municipality, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, due to severe weather caused by the passage of Storm Charles, 11 November 2026. (EPA)
Heavy machinery clears the debris from a landslide along the Marocos road in Machico municipality, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, due to severe weather caused by the passage of Storm Charles, 11 November 2026. (EPA)
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Portugal Closes All Schools and Non-Essential Services Ahead of a Major Atlantic Storm

Heavy machinery clears the debris from a landslide along the Marocos road in Machico municipality, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, due to severe weather caused by the passage of Storm Charles, 11 November 2026. (EPA)
Heavy machinery clears the debris from a landslide along the Marocos road in Machico municipality, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, due to severe weather caused by the passage of Storm Charles, 11 November 2026. (EPA)

Portugal closed all schools and shuttered non-essential public services on Wednesday as a major Atlantic storm headed for the country's mainland.

Streets remained largely deserted ahead of the arrival of Storm Charles after the government told people to stay at home as heavy rain and rough seas were expected to batter the Portuguese coast, with wind gusts of up to 140 kph (85 mph).

It was the first time in living memory that Portugal’s roughly 8,000 schools had canceled classes nationwide over a storm forecast.

Buses without passengers drove through the country's capital, Lisbon, where some streets flooded due to clogged drains. A national supermarket chain closed its stores, while an international technology conference in Lisbon attended by around 70,000 people called off the day's events.

In January, the country's center-right government faced harsh criticism for its weak response when Storm Kristin hit central Portugal, felling thousands of trees and causing widespread property damage that is still being repaired.

The brunt of Storm Charles was expected to hit the Atlantic coast on Wednesday afternoon and evening, coming from the southwest after it had struck the Portuguese island of Madeira on Tuesday with 130 kph (81 mph) winds.

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Once the World's Fastest, Ocean Liner Will Become Largest Artificial Reef

The S.S. United States crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times. (Getty Images)
The S.S. United States crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times. (Getty Images)
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Once the World's Fastest, Ocean Liner Will Become Largest Artificial Reef

The S.S. United States crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times. (Getty Images)
The S.S. United States crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times. (Getty Images)

An ocean liner that is longer than the Titanic and was once the fastest on the seas is headed to a final home on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico as the world's largest artificial reef.

The S.S. United States is scheduled to be sunk Wednesday off the coast of the Florida Panhandle, fulfilling a long-planned $13.5 million project aimed at attracting more divers and fishing enthusiasts to the area while creating a home for tuna, marlin and swordfish.

The project will keep what had been a technological marvel when it made its maiden voyage in 1952 from becoming scrap metal.

The S.S. United States crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times, carrying old Hollywood stars like Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor. Other passengers have included President John F. Kennedy and Britain’s former King Edward VIII. In 1968, a young Bill Clinton took it when he went to Oxford University, decades before he was elected president.

In preparation for the sinking, organizers removed the 65-foot smokestacks and plan to have them anchor a new museum that celebrates the ship. Once aboard, passengers were treated to dinners that included caviar, roast duckling, smoked ox tongue and Calf's Head en Tortue.

“It was our goal to make sure that she wasn’t lost forever,” said David Lawrence, a member of the board for the S.S. United States Conservancy, which is dedicated to preserving the ship.

The ship will be sunk without using explosives

Federal environmental and explosives rules prevent Okaloosa County, Florida, and its contractor from using explosives to scuttle the ship, said Nick Tomecek, the county's spokesperson. Concerns about inclement weather prompted officials to move up the sinking by a day.

The S.S. United States has pipes that pulled seawater into tanks as part of the system that cooled its boilers, he said, and those tanks have been removed so that once the valves are opened, water will flood the hull. Workers also have cut 10-foot by 10-foot holes in the decks, and more than 400 portholes have been removed.

The ship is to sink in about 180 feet (55 meters) of water, with its top deck about 60 feet (18 meters) below the surface — shallow enough that inexperienced divers can visit. It will settle on the floor of the waters about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Destin, between Panama City and Pensacola.

Larger than the Titanic, the ship's first voyage set a speed record

More than 3,000 workers helped build the S.S. United States in 1950 and 1951 in Virginia. An Associated Press reporter and President Harry Truman's daughter, Margaret, were among 1,700 passengers for the first voyage.

The ship's average speed for that trip was almost 41 miles (66 kilometers) per hour, besting a record set by Britain's R.M.S. Queen Mary in 1938 by 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) per hour, according to the AP's dispatch.

The S.S. United States set the record even though its journey ended in the face of a full gale that reached 69 miles (111 kilometers) per hour — “so strong it blew a ping pong table off the deck,” AP reported.

At 990 feet (302 meters), the ship is 108 feet (33 meters) longer than the ill-fated Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank on its first voyage across the Atlantic.

“She really embodies and expresses this country’s best,” said Susan Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship's designer. “She represents pride and resilience and strength and beauty.”

The ship's resting place has many artificial reefs

About 500 artificial reefs are located in the waters near where the S.S. United States will rest, Tomecek said.

Previously, the largest artificial reef came from the 2006 scuttling of an aircraft carrier, the USS Oriskany in the Gulf off of Pensacola — near enough to the S.S. United States site that an experienced diver could visit both in the same day, Tomecek said. The Oriskany, launched in 1950, was 911 feet (278 meters) in length.

“We're trying to be the best diving destination in the world,” Tomecek said.

The ship was decommissioned in 1969. Attempts by a hotel magnate and Norwegian Cruise Lines to use the ship never floated, and from 1996 until recently, it sat along a dock in Philadelphia.

“I’m just so happy that we are able to save parts of her,” Gibbs said.