UAE Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi ISS Mission Date Announced

The UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) said Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi’s launch to the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled “no earlier than February 26, 2023” for the first Arab long-duration astronaut mission.

Al-Neyadi will hold the record of the Arab astronaut with the longest time aboard the station. The mission will place the UAE on the list of only 11 countries that have sent their astronauts on long-term missions in space.

Update: The launch date of the first Arab long-duration astronaut mission is scheduled no earlier than 26 February 2023. The 6-month mission, on board the International Space Station, will include different scientific experiments and research.#UAEAstronautProgramme pic.twitter.com/sPC9GxCG3h

— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) January 19, 2023

In 2019, fellow emirati Hazza al-Mansouri became the first person from the UAE in space and the first Arab to board the ISS, where he spent eight days conducting experiments and filming the first tour of the ISS in Arabic.

Both men are members of Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center.

In recent years, the UAE has taken the lead in its space ambitions, training several astronauts and developing the Hope probe, which is currently researching the atmosphere of Mars.