There’s less than 30 days to go until Hazzaa AlMansoori makes history as the first Emirati astronaut…

On Wednesday September 25, Hazzaa AlMansoori will make history as the UAE’s first astronaut, when he embarks on an eight day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Ahead of the historic mission, it’s been announced that AlMansoori will take with him a 10kg shipment prepared by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).

The shipment is filled with items relating to the UAE’s heritage, culture and history such as flags and logos, Emirati food and 30 Ghaf tree seeds, which will be planted all over the UAE upon the astronaut’s return. A photo of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, a copy of the Holy Quran, MBRSC’s The Race to Space and the book ‘My Story’ by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will also be included in the package.

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For more practical purposes, AlMansoori will also be taking materials required for the scientific experiments he, along with his fellow astronauts, will be carrying out during the mission.

The launch

Ahead of the launch on September 25, 2019 Hazzaa AlMansoori, his fellow crew and the back-up crew will be placed in quarantine, where they’ll have no access to the outside world for two weeks. This quarantine period is to ensure that no germs enter their ground and space facilities, and during this time the facilities and tools they use are subject to frequent sterilization too.

The astronauts will board the Soyuz-MS 15 spacecraft around two hours ahead of take-off, which will happen from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5.56pm, UAE time.

Hazzaa AlMansoori and his fellow astronauts are then set to return to earth on October 3.

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