His six month mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has been extended by another day…

UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi is set to return to earth a day later than planned. As reported by The National, the original return date of Friday September 1 has now been rescheduled for Saturday September 2.

The reason for the delay is so that Nasa and SpaceX can adjust their flight schedule on the International Space Station.

Dr Al Neyadi, one of four astronauts in Crew-6, has spent the last six months on board the International Space Station (ISS). During his half year aboard ISS, he’s undertaken over 200 activities and outreach activities.

The replacement crew, Crew-7, had their launch pushed back by a day, meaning the Crew 6 return needed to also be adjusted.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Director General of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space shared that Crew-7 had safely landed at ISS on August 27. “In the next few days, they will receive the handover from Sultan and his crewmates. Sultan and Crew-6 are now preparing to return to earth, and we are ready to welcome them back,” he shared.

The four astronauts will depart on Saturday September 2 from ISS, making the 24-hour journey back to earth aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule. The capsule will splashdown off the coast of Florida. Nasa are expected to release the Crew-6 return schedule and splashdown time in due course.

Sultan Al Neyadi and his Crew-6 colleagues: Nasa astronaut Stephen Bowen, commander of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft; Nasa Pilot Woody Hoburg and mission specialist Andrey Fedyaev will initially undergo medical tests in Florida upon returning to earth.

Thereafter, he will head to the UAE to attend celebrations, before returning to the US for final mission debriefings. Then, he is expected to return to the UAE for nationwide roadshows and to discuss his experiences.