A giant leap for the Arab World…

It was back in 1957 when human beings began venturing into space. The world has come a long way in just 65 years but the UAE, in particular, has been in the starry spotlight in the past few years.

From Hazza Al Mansoori, the first Emirati astronaut venturing to space in 2019 to a successful mission launch of the Hope Probe in 2021, the UAE has plenty to be proud of. And soon, the UAE will become the first Arab country in the world to send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS).

The astronaut chosen for the mission is Sultan Al Neyadi. Al Neyadi will launch to the ISS in the spring of 2023 for a six-month mission from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida in the USA.

UAE President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan shared his pride in the mission via his official Twitter account. He stated, ‘This historic milestone builds on the strong foundations of the UAE’s burgeoning space programme.’

The sentiment was shared HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai who stated, ‘there is no limit to the ceiling of our ambitions’.

About the astronaut and the mission ahead

Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi will undertake the first long-term mission for Arab astronauts in the spring of 2023. He will launch as part of the NASA and SpaceX Crew-6 mission where he will spend half a year aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

During the mission, Al Neyadi will conduct many in-depth and advanced scientific experiments.

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Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has undergone five years of training for the mission. A video shared by MBRSC shows Sultan Al Neyadi undergoing his training process with video clips of space shuttles launching into space.

HE Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director General, MBRSC announced that Al Neyadi underwent extensive training that led him to receive NASA’S astronaut pin. He added, ‘Sultan’s admirable performance has earned him the honour of representing the UAE in this historic mission’.

What’s On will bring you more information about the mission closer to the launch but for now, we wish astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and the team at MBRSC the very best as they prepare for the launch.

Images: MBR Space Centre