RIYADH, April 2, 2025: Biological samples for a Saudi study investigating the effects of low gravity on the human eye's microbiome have been launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX rocket.
A historic moment for both Saudi Arabia and global space exploration, health-tech startup SDM and the nonprofit FALAK for Space Science and Research launched the Falak Mission to examine the ocular microbiome in space via SpaceX’s Fram2 from Florida’s Space Coast on Monday night.
“This marks the first time astronauts have ventured into polar orbit space, not equatorial orbit. It is also the first time specimens have been sent to polar space with live astronauts,” said Prof. Dr. Selwa Al-Hazza, CEO and founder of SDM, in an interview with Arab News.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched on March 31 at 9:47 p.m., carrying ocular microbiome samples for the mission. This experiment is part of global efforts to study how microgravity affects the ocular microbiome in space, an important yet under-researched aspect of eye health.
The study will monitor genetic and protein changes that could occur due to exposure to microgravity. It also aims to assess how microbes form biofilms, which could increase the risk of infection in space, and analyze how microbial resistance to antibiotics changes in microgravity.
Dr. Ayoub Al-Subehi, CEO of FALAK, stated that the project would contribute significantly to progress in education and research in space and associated technologies.
Al-Hazza, who has 39 years of experience in ophthalmology, image analysis, artificial intelligence, diabetic retinopathy, and ocular genetic diseases, emphasized that this mission is a major step in Saudi Arabia's commitment to scientific innovation and its growing role in global space exploration.
Al-Hazza shared her vision of exploring the microbiome in microgravity, believing that changes in its structure could offer medical breakthroughs, particularly in treatment options that avoid pharmaceuticals.
In the past 18 months, Al-Hazza, SDM co-founder Naif Al-Obaidallah, and specialists from Johns Hopkins Hospital, Malta, and Turkey collaborated to explore medical solutions in space.
Al-Hazza expressed pride in representing Saudi Arabia through the mission, with the support of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, the Saudi Space Agency, and the Communications, Space and Technology Commission.
The study is part of the Fram2 mission, which launched from Kennedy Space Center and carries a crew of four. It is the first human spaceflight to follow a polar orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket is expected to land on April 3, though the exact time remains unspecified.