Saudis in orbit: Riyadh sets up national space agency

King Salman on Thursday appointed his eldest son, Prince Sultan bin Salman, to head the freshly commissioned Saudi Space Agency, the official SPA news agency reported.

Prince Sultan, who became the first Arab and Muslim astronaut to fly in space in 1985, was removed as head of the tourism authority for the new role.

The move was part of a sweeping government reshuffle that saw the foreign minister effectively demoted to minister of state for foreign affairs.

Pro-government news website Sabq published an article on Thursday, laying out the objectives of the agency.

"The new body will establish the kingdom as a centre of excellence in the field of satellite communications and promote this service to the region," the report said.

"It will pursue investment in the emerging space industry… to stimulate and diversify the economy," it added.

Saudi Arabia this month launched two reconnaissance satellites into orbit, using launch pads in China.

Riyadh is the latest Arab country to establish its own space authority, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria already having their own agencies.

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