First Arab long-duration astronaut mission to launch next month

Agencies | Dubai                                         

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com    

The first Arab long-duration astronaut mission is scheduled to launch on Feb. 26, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center has announced.
A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket will carry UAE astronaut and mission specialist Sultan Al-Neyadi, along with two NASA astronauts — mission commander Stephen Bowen and pilot Warren Hoburg — and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
Key mission information, such as the launch time and launch opportunities, was announced during the NASA Crew-6 mission overview media briefing, Emirates News Agency reported on Thursday.
MBRSC Director-General Salem Humaid Al-Marri said: “We are proud to talk about our second mission under the UAE Astronaut Program and Sultan’s first mission to space.
“Our human space program kicked off in 2017 where we selected our first two astronauts, Hazzaa Al-Mansoori and Sultan Al-Neyadi. We had our first mission to the ISS in 2019, which had an impact on hundreds of thousands of people.”
He added: “Today, Al-Neyadi is a very capable astronaut and he, along with his colleague Al-Mansoori have a total of five years of training, including training on EVAs and operations aboard the ISS.
“We have over 20 science experiments from UAE universities in the upcoming mission and a lot of outreach activities being done across the region.”
Al-Neyadi said: “The idea of waking up every morning and having access to a window like the Cupola, where one can scan the entire world in 90 minutes, is amazing, and I believe it is literally out of this world.
“The trip to space by Al-Mansoori marked the UAE’s consistent presence in space. Our prime minister promised to continue these flights, and now we’re talking about the second mission to the International Space Station.
“This time we raised the bar to six months, and we now have two additional astronauts training with the class of ‘23.
He added: “I would also love to see a UAE flag on the lunar surface, carried on the shoulder of a UAE astronaut.
“The UAE is doing an excellent job, and I believe that in the next 10 years, we will be following international efforts to go to space and push the boundaries of exploration.”