Saudi Arabian astronauts will head to the ISS on a SpaceX ship after the country struck a deal with Axiom

The purchase is part of a plan to send two Saudi astronauts to the International Space Station.

NASA

• Saudi Arabia has bought two seats on board a SpaceX capsule, per Reuters.
• The country bought the seats from Axiom Space as part of a plan to send Saudi astronauts to the ISS.
• The astronauts will be the first from the nation to travel to space with a private company.

Saudi Arabia has bought two seats on board SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule from Axiom Space, sources familiar with the deal told Reuters.

The purchase is part of a plan to send two Saudi astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), three anonymous sources confirmed to the news agency.

The sources added that the deal with Houston-based Axiom Space, a private company, was signed earlier this year.

Axiom Space did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of usual working hours.

The two seats are on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which will travel to the ISS, where the Saudi astronauts are expected to stay for around a week, per Reuters. 

The astronauts will be the first from the nation to travel to space with a private company. The mission will be the second space trip arranged by Axiom, according to Reuters' sources. 

Axiom operates missions to and from the ISS and is also building the first commercial destination in space, Axiom Station, according to its website. The company launched the first private astronaut mission to the ISS in April. The four-man civilian crew also traveled on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship, per NASA.

Private space companies such as Axiom are infringing on a uniquely diplomatic position between the US and other nations, which was traditionally controlled by NASA, Reuters reported.

Earlier this month, Axiom announced it had signed a deal with Turkey's government to send the first Turkish astronaut to space. 

Russian cosmonauts were also set to fly to the ISS with SpaceX under a new NASA deal with Russia's space agency, Reuters reported.

SpaceX and the Saudi Space Commission did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside normal working hours. 

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