On March 2, 2023, Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi embarked on his mission aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, blasting off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, marking an unprecedented moment for the UAE and the entire Arab world.
Born in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi in 1981, Sultan Al Neyadi was one of two individuals selected from 4,022 hopefuls to become the UAE’s pioneering astronauts. Both he and Hazza Al Mansouri underwent rigorous mental and physical evaluations in the UAE and Russia as part of the UAE Astronaut Programme at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.
Fast forward to September 4, Endeavour, the SpaceX Dragon craft, successfully splashed down at 8:17AM GST off the coast of Florida, concluding Al Neyadi’s historic journey. The original plan to undock from the ISS on September 2 faced delays due to adverse weather conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. However, once undocked at 3:05 pm GST on September 3, it took approximately 17 hours for the craft to reach Earth.
During his time on the International Space Station (ISS), Al Neyadi stood out, becoming the first Arab astronaut to not only spend an extended duration on the ISS but also to undertake a spacewalk. This remarkable spacewalk lasted about 7 hours as he performed crucial maintenance tasks and laid the groundwork for the installation of new solar panels and maintenance work.
Al Neyadi conducted over 200 science investigations, pushing the boundaries of global scientific knowledge. Onboard the ISS, Al Neyadi was joined by two NASA astronauts, Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Together, in collaboration with NASA and the Mohamed Bin Rashid Space Centre, they bridged space and Earth with ‘A Call From Space’ events that toured the Emirates. Over 10,000 visitors had the unprecedented chance to converse with Al Neyadi and delve into his extraterrestrial experiences.
Now back on solid ground, the journey is far from over for Al Neyadi. His next steps involve returning home to embrace his loved ones, undergoing treatments to readjust to Earth’s conditions, and later collaborating with NASA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre to reflect on his space experiments.
Welcome home Sultan Al Neyadi!
DSCVR: Sultan Al Neyadi returns to Earth. Monday 4 September 2023. @mbrspacecentre @astro_alneyadi.
