Sultan bin Salman Al Saud
Sultan bin Salman Al Saud | |
|---|---|
Sultan bin Salman in 2016 | |
| Born | 27 June 1956 |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Alma mater | University of Denver Syracuse University |
| Occupation | Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Space Commission |
| Parents |
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| Occupation | Fighter pilot |
| Space career | |
| Payload Specialist | |
| Rank | Colonel, Royal Saudi Air Force |
Time in space | 7d 01h 38m |
| Missions | STS-51-G |
Mission insignia | |
Sultan bin Salman Al Saud (Arabic: سلطان بن سلمان آل سعود; Sulṭān bin Salmān Āl Suʿūd; born 27 June 1956) is a Saudi prince and former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot who flew aboard the American STS-51-G Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist. He is the first member of a royal family to fly in space, the first Arab and the first Muslim to fly in space, as well as (at 28 years old) the youngest person ever to fly on a space shuttle. On 27 December 2018, he was appointed as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Space Commission with the rank of minister. He is the eldest surviving son of King Salman and one of the grandsons of Saudi's founder King Abdulaziz.