UAE Astronaut Completes Historic Arab Spacewalk After 7-Hour Mission

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has made history by completing a seven-hour spacewalk, becoming the Arab world's first spacewalk.

Al Neyadi and his fellow astronaut American Stephen Bowen climbed out of a hatch on the International Space Station (ISS) and entered into space Friday, April 28th at 5:11 pm UAE time and concluded the spacewalk just after midnight.

Both astronauts had earlier prepared their spacesuit, also known as an Extravehicular Mobility Unit, inside ISS’s Joint Quest Airlock, the actual exit for performing spacewalks.

The mission was watched live by thousands of Arabs, space lovers, science enthusiasts, and people all around the world.

This made the UAE the tenth in the world in spacewalk missions outside the ISS.

Spacewalks are essential to maintaining and developing the capabilities of the ISS.

Al Neyadi has been on a six-month mission since March 3rd, making it the Arab world's first long-duration space trip.

Image source: @astro_alneyadi Instagram account.