Sultan bin Salman Al Saud Status: Retired 6/27/1956 – Nationality: Saudi Arabian Type: Non-Astronaut Passenger Agency: Space Research Institute of Saudi Arabia Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (born 27 June 1956) is a former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot who flew aboard the American STS-51-G Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist, and a member of the House of Saud. He is thus the first member of a royal family to be an astronaut, and the first Arab and Muslim to fly in space.