John Fabian, astronaut of STS-51-G mission, dies at 87

article author: Hajar AlQusayer Sun, 2026-05-24 14:38 RIYADH: Former NASA astronaut John Fabian, who flew alongside Prince Sultan bin Salman on the landmark STS-51-G mission in 1985, has died at the age of 87. Fabian was part of the seven-member crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during the mission that carried Prince Sultan into orbit, the first time an Arab, Muslim and Saudi citizen had traveled to space. Launched on June 17, 1985, the mission lasted for seven days and deployed several communications satellites, including Arabsat-1B for the Arab Satellite Communications Organization. Main category: Saudi Arabia Tags: Saudi Space NASA