When Will Sultan Al Neyadi Begin his Journey Back to Earth?

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi will start his journey back to Earth at 5:05 p.m. on Saturday, according to UAE space chiefs.

The Emirati astronaut, along with his crew members, will splash down off the coast of Florida at 8:58 a.m. (UAE time) on Sunday.

Not only did Dr. Al Neyadi become part of the Arab World's first six-month space mission, but he also became the first Arab to perform a spacewalk, which has made him a source of pride and joy for the UAE and the Arab World. 

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center shared the timing of the return trip on Thursday, Aug. 31.

On Saturday, Sep. 2, the live coverage of the undocking procedure will begin at 3:00 p.m. as the undocking is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. UAE time. 

On Sunday, Sep. 3, live coverage will begin at 8:30 a.m. as the splashdown is scheduled to be at 8:58 a.m.

Dr. Al Neyadi's schedule after his return to Earth has already been shared here, however when he is in the UAE for a longer time period, he will participate in nationwide roadshows to share his experiences. 

The astronaut paid tribute to his crew mates on X as he tweeted "We began the mission as crewmates, but now we're brothers".

Dr. Al Neyadi was initially scheduled to depart from ISS on Friday, Sep. 1 along with his crewmates. 

However, the trip was delayed due to NASA and SpaceX adjusting their flight schedules because Crew-7 had their launch delayed, which delayed the departure of the Crew-6 astronauts.

Image source: @astro_alneyadi Instagram page