Saudi Space Agency, Axiom Space Sign MoU to Develop National Space Capabilities

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
TT

Saudi Space Agency, Axiom Space Sign MoU to Develop National Space Capabilities

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Saudi Space Agency has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Axiom Space with the aim of developing Saudi national capabilities in various areas of the space sector.
The MoU was signed during an official visit of the Saudi Digital Economy, Space, and Innovation delegation to the United States.

The delegation was led by Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Space Agency Engineer Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawahah. It also included the CEO of the Saudi Space Agency, Dr. Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, and several senior officials from the agency.

According to the terms of the MoU, Axiom Space will provide several opportunities for Saudi student training and on-the-job staff training, as well as the exchange of knowledge, skills, and experiences in the field of manned spaceflights. The MoU covers cooperation between both parties in various aspects of developing national capabilities in the space sector and related fields.

The company will offer educational and training programs relevant to its scope for Saudi students.

It is expected that the memorandum will enhance educational and professional development opportunities for Saudi students and employees, deepen cooperation, and enhance mutual benefits between the Saudi Space Agency and the company.



2 Elephants Die in Flash Flooding in Northern Thailand

This handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province. (Photo by Handout / ELEPHANT NATURE PARK / AFP)
This handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province. (Photo by Handout / ELEPHANT NATURE PARK / AFP)
TT

2 Elephants Die in Flash Flooding in Northern Thailand

This handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province. (Photo by Handout / ELEPHANT NATURE PARK / AFP)
This handout photo taken and released on October 3, 2024 by the Elephant Nature Park shows elephants standing in flood waters at the sanctuary in Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province. (Photo by Handout / ELEPHANT NATURE PARK / AFP)

Two elephants drowned during flash flooding in popular Thai tourist hotspot Chiang Mai, their sanctuary said Sunday, as local authorities evacuated visitors from their hotels and shops closed in the city center.

More than 100 elephants at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai province were moved to higher ground to escape rapidly rising flood waters, an employee who gave her name as Dada, told AFP.

But two elephants -- named in local media as 16-year-old Fahsai and 40-year-old Ploython, who was blind -- were found dead on Saturday.

"My worst nightmare came true when I saw my elephants floating in the water," Saengduean Chailert, the director of the Elephant Nature Park in northern Thailand, told local media.

"I will not let this happen again, I will not make them run from such a flood again," she said, vowing to move them to higher ground ahead of next year's monsoon.

In Chiang Mai city center, people waded through muddy water close to knee height in the night bazaar, and water flowed into the central train station, which has now been closed.

Tourists were forced to evacuate hotels and a local TV station showed a monk carrying a coffin through floodwaters to a cremation site.

Major inundations have struck parts of northern Thailand as recent heavy downpours caused the Ping River to reach "critical" levels, according to the district office. The water level peaked on Saturday but had receded slightly by Sunday.

Thailand's northern provinces have been hit by large floods since Typhoon Yagi struck the region in early September, with one district reporting its worst inundations in 80 years.

Twenty provinces are currently flooded, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said Sunday.